Sony Adds Popular New Villain To Venom 2

Venom 2 is gonna be a scream — well, almost.

According to a new report by Deadline, Sony Pictures has selected a second villain to feature in the forthcoming Venom sequel, directed by Andy Serkis and starring returning actor Tom Hardy as the man possessed by the titular symbiote. The outlet cites two sources with knowledge of Venom 2 who have indicated that the Marvel Comics villain Shriek is indeed part of the film's plot. 

Deadline reportedly reached out to Sony in hopes of receiving a statement on this intel, but a spokesperson declined to comment given that Venom 2 is still in the initial phases of development and isn't scheduled to start filming until early 2020. 

With Shriek incorporated into the script, the forthcoming Venom sequel — slated to launch in theaters on October 2, 2020 — will put on display two infamous comic book villains. The first is Cletus Kasady, a serial killer who serves as the host for the insidious extraterrestrial parasite called Carnage, an enemy of Venom, which is the symbiote living inside the body of journalist Eddie Brock. Within the Marvel comics, Kasady is shipped off to Ryker's Island Maximum Security Penitentiary after murdering 11 people. There, he actually shares a cell with Brock, who was incarcerated after he (in Venom form) wreaked havoc across New York City. Kasady and Brock quickly formed a deep hatred for one another, with Brock despising Kasady for killing people he knew were innocent and helpless. Things take a horrifying turn when it's revealed that Brock's symbiote Venom wasn't dead but merely dormant, and when it reformed with Brock, it left a sort of offspring stuck on Kasady. That entity turned into a full-fledged symbiote of its own, bonded to Kasady, and became Carnage. 

In the first Venom film, these events play out a little differently. Woody Harrelson is seen as Cletus Kasady in a mid-credits scene, in which Eddie Brock visits him at San Quentin Penitentiary on an interview assignment. Kasady tells Brock that there will be "carnage" when he escapes from prison, teasing his eventual breakout and involvement in Venom 2.

Since it was basically a no-brainer that Carnage would be in Venom 2, many fans speculated that Shriek might appear in the flick as well given the character's connection to Kasady. What link might that be, you ask? Well, Shriek is Carnage's love interest. 

Shriek's real name is Frances Louise Barrison, and she made her print debut in May 1993's Spider-Man Unlimited #1 during the Maximum Carnage comic storyline. She was introduced as a drug dealer with a troubled past who got busted by the vigilante duo Cloak and Dagger in the middle of one of her drug runs. After spending time in Cloak's Darkforce Dimension, being imprisoned in the Ravencroft Institute for the criminally insane, and purportedly getting shot in the head by a police officer (with some bullet debris apparently left over and still lodged in her brain), Frances goes mad. Her descent into insanity brings her latent mutant abilities to the surface — allowing her to fly, manipulate sound, shoot sonic energy blasts from her hands, and access others' minds to manipulate their emotions and force them to act violently. 

In the comics, Carnage meets Shriek as he's breaking free from Ravencroft, where Shriek is also being held. The two make their violent escape, team up, embark on a gruesome killing spree, and create a makeshift "family" with the villainous Carrion, Demogoblin, and Doppelgänger.

It's possible that Venom 2 may place Shriek inside San Quentin Penitentiary instead of the Ravencroft Institute, but still see her meet Carnage when he's escaping. This would set up a fantastically frightful storyline for the two villains, who may or may not assemble a group of antagonistic pals in the new movie.

Perhaps a bigger question than how Shriek will fit into the Venom 2 narrative is which actress will fit into the role itself. Sony is said to have already begun the casting process, though the studio's list of contenders for the part is "expanding, not narrowing," according to Deadline. A source close to the project further detailed that Sony cast a wide net toward "many kinds of actresses," but the studio is primarily looking at unknown actresses for the time being. 

Whomever ends up playing Shriek in Venom 2 will share the screen with top talent. In addition to starring opposite Woody Harrelson as Carnage and Tom Hardy as Venom, the Shriek actress will appear alongside Michelle Williams, who portrays Brock's ex-fiancée and district attorney Anne Weying. 

Let's just hope that the lucky lady who lands the role for Venom 2 will get to wear a better wig than the wild one Harrelson sported in the first Venom flick. 

Venom 2 is set for release on October 2, 2020.