The Irishman’s Stephen Graham joins the cast of Venom 2

Fresh off of Martin Scorsese's star-studded crime-epic THE IRISHMAN, Deadline has reported that Stephen Graham has joined the cast of VENOM 2. Unfortunately, Graham's role in the sequel is being kept under wraps, so it's time to use your imagination. Any guesses?

Stephen Graham is also known for his roles in GANGS OF NEW YORK, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, ROCKETMAN, and HBO's Boardwalk Empire. Production on the VENOM sequel kicked off last month under the direction of Andy Serkis (MOWGLI: LEGEND OF THE JUNGLE), with Tom Hardy (DUNKIRK), Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon), and Woody Harrelson (MIDWAY) all reprising their roles from the first film. Naomie Harris (NO TIME TO DIE) is also onboard to play Shriek, a villain known for her sonic powers who was also something of a love interest for Carnage. Producer Matt Tolmach recently told CinemaBlend that they're considering letting the sequel run with an R-rating in the wake of the massive box-office success of JOKER, but personally, I wouldn't hold my breath.

I mean, I think you always have to think about [it], now that that works. Having said that, our movie worked really well. Our franchise exists as it is, and I don't think anybody is looking to just say, ‘Hey, they [did it]!’ We have a place in the world. So it isn't like suddenly everybody's considering what to do with the rating. … I think what Joker does is it tells you that you can succeed. For a very long time, that was the narrative. And Deadpool sort of wrestled that to the turf, and then Logan, but for a long time, that was considered totally forbidden. … So you know, I think it's the greatest thing in the world that R-rated movies are being embraced by massive audiences. And it just means that there are more opportunities for that kind of storytelling.

VENOM 2 is expected to hit theaters on October 2, 2020, but Stephen Graham will soon be seen in GREYHOUND, a World War II drama written, produced, and starring Tom Hanks which is slated for a May 8, 2020 release. Graham also plays Jacob Marley in BBC's upcoming mini-series A Christmas Carol starring Guy Pearce and Andy Serkis. The Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) series is slated to air on FX in the United States on December 19th, and on BBC One in the United Kingdom from December 22-24th.