Back when Sony’s Amazing Spider-Man series was still going, the studio planned to build a cinematic universe centered around the Wall-Crawler though spinoffs, which included Sinister Six and Venom. However, while the Andrew Garfield franchise has been closed out, those spinoffs were never officially put on the chopping block. And now, Sony is moving forward with the Venom spinoff again.
While Spider-Man will swing across the big screen in Captain America: Civil War and his 2017 solo movie, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Sony has hired Edge of Tomorrow writer Dane Harper to pen Venom. Longtime Spider-Man movie producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach will produce the movie, which is being "envisioned" as a franchise separate and unconnected to what’s happening with Spider-Man. The report didn’t say which version of Venom would star, but two primary candidates spring to mind to bond with the alien symbiote.
The first is Eddie Brock, who bonded to the black, gooey alien life form immediately after Peter Parker got it off himself. As the first Venom, Eddie started out as a traditional super villain, but later shifted into an anti-hero who just had a grudge against Spider-Man. Eddie was previously played by Topher Grace in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, but that Venom earned mixed reception from fans and critics. Featuring Eddie as the main Venom might be the cinematic redemption the character needs, although assuming the Venom movie also takes place in the MCU, it would be difficult to introduce him without establishing his hatred for Spider-Man.
While others have become Venom after Eddie, the second likely option for big screen adaptation is Flash Thompson. Thompson is best known as Peter Parker’s high school classmate and bully-turned-friend, and he is curently Agent Venom in the comics. Thompson's variant started out as a government operative, but he’s since become a regular superhero, working on teams like the Secret Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. When he’s Venom, Flash is able to walk again, thanks to the symbiote regrowing the legs that he lost during his time in the Iraq War, as well as having access to the creature’s regular abilities. If Sony wants to feature a more standard protagonist, Flash Thompson would be their best bet. He's using his powers for good, but would still have to struggle with the symbiote’s dark impulses and not unleashing the monster within.
Although Marvel and Sony are working in conjunction on all things Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it looks like Sony is taking the reigns alone on Venom. Though Marvel will undoubtedly get to see what they're cooking up, it's still anyone's guess as to what will eventually happen with the darker toned spinoff. It may be a while until Venom comes to fruition, but we’ll keep you apprised on any updates regarding its development.
