A third film in the Marvel Comics-inspired Venom franchise started filming back in June, then had to shut down production when the Screen Actors Guild strike began in July. Earlier this month, that strike came to an end – and writer/director Kelly Marcel and star Tom Hardy quickly got back to work on Venom 3. When filming resumed, Hardy celebrated by sharing an image on Instagram. Just over a week later, he has shared another image from the set, along with a statement… and in this statement, he indicates that he might be leaving the Venom franchise as a trilogy, as he refers to the new film as “the last dance”.
Hardy said, “V3N0M 3. The Last dance. Thankfully we are back to shooting, and I want to take a moment just to thank all the teams thus far on the ride from V1 to here. Aall our fantastic cast and crew- good friends and family – we’ve come a long way. It’s been and continues to be a lot of fun, this journey. There’s always hard turns to burn when we work, but doesn’t feel as hard when you love what you do and when you know you have great material and the support, at all sides, of a great team. Surrounded by talented and passionate departments and when surrounded by people you love and care about, it doesn’t get any better. I want to mention very briefly how proud of my Director, writing partner and dear friend Kelly Marcel I am. Watching you taking the helm on this one fills me with pride, it is an honour. Trust your gut, your instincts are always spot on. First class – I back you 100%. As always. And I absolutely love working with you and watching you take on bigger challenges every time. And to my great friend, face plant chief operator and brother @jaketomuri Jacob you still look f all like me bro. Here’s to a great ride!!!“
The first Venom was scripted by Jeff Pinker, Scott Rosenberg, and Kelly Marcel. Ruben Fleischer directed that film, which made $856 million. But then Fleischer turned his focus to making Zombieland: Double Tap and Uncharted – so Andy Serkis took over as director on Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Which was written by Kelly Marcel, working from a story she crafted with Hardy. That sequel earned $506 million at the pandemic era global box office. Serkis said he would be glad to return to the helm for a follow-up – but when Venom 3 actually did come up, he opted to focus on other projects instead. So Venom 3 will be Marcel’s feature directorial debut. She also wrote the screenplay, based (again) on a story she crafted with Hardy.
Hardy is reprising the role of Eddie Brock / Venom for this sequel, and he is joined in the cast by Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). Official details on Temple and Ejiofor’s characters have not been revealed – but no, Ejiofor is not playing his Doctor Strange character Baron Mordo, since the Venom films are set in a different universe than the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. There was a rumor that he might be playing Orwell Taylor, the leader of the group known as The Jury. As ComicBookMovie noted, “that group existed solely to take out Venom, with each member of The Jury outfitted in powerful armoured suits and tech based on Tony Stark’s designs. Throw in the fact that they had sonic blasters and flamethrowers, and it’s not hard to imagine the government tasking this clandestine group with taking out an apparent threat like Venom.” Members of The Jury in the comic book source material include Sentry, Bomblast, Firearm, Ramshot, Wysper, and Screech.
Sony Pictures is aiming to get Venom 3 into theatres on November 8, 2024. Are you looking forward to the film? What do you think of Hardy referring to this production as “the last dance”? Let us know by leaving a comment below.