Riz Ahmed's Venom Role Reportedly Revealed
Every little detail that's come out so far regarding Sony Pictures' upcoming superhero movie Venom has been a bit of a surprise, from its out-of-nowhere first announcement to its unexpectedly respectable cast. Now, it looks as though one more piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, with Riz Ahmed's role in the movie reportedly finally being revealed.
We've previously written about sources close to the production claiming Ahmed won't be playing Carnage in the movie, but that hasn't stopped rumors from persisting that he would be. That speculation may finally be over, as according to That Hashtag Show, a leaked photo from the set of the movie shows the actor in full costume—and he doesn't look like any version of Cletus Kasady we've ever seen. Take a look for yourself below.
This is what happens when they walk out of the wrong door... side and behind view.
Dr. Drake from #Venom, in costume. pic.twitter.com/e5wNiOqUKL
— Atlanta Filming (@AtlantaFilming) December 22, 2017
Reportedly, Ahmed will be playing the human character of Dr. Carlton Drake, the leader of a an elite corporate survivalist group called the Life Foundation, which made its first appearance in a March 1988 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man.
The idea of Ahmed playing Carnage has been feeling more and more unlikely as details for the movie have emerged, and Ahmed has always seemed like a more cerebral actor than the dumb and violent psychopath of Cletus Kasady would require. Additionally, as That Hashtag Show points out, Dr. Drake's Life Foundation plays a key role in the "Lethal Protector" story that we now know the movie is adapting.
With all that we now know about the movie's setting and source material, the question is increasingly becoming how Carnage will fit into this thing at all, as previous reports do indicate that the character will appear in the movie. Depending on how they adapt the "Lethal Protector" story, the movie could be chock-full of symbiotes, with that story involving Venom doing battle with five different nemeses: Scream, Lasher, Phage, Riot, and Agony. With so many villains already available to contend with, perhaps they'll wait until the inevitable sequel to unleash maximum Carnage.
Venom will be out in theaters on October 5, 2018.