The idea of Venom starring in his own solo origin story without the presence of Spider-Man certainly wasn’t a surefire success. Just think about the sour taste 2007’s Spider-Man 3 left for many fans. Yet, Sony’s Venom became a massive blockbuster that scored $855 million worldwide.
Tons of fans lined up opening weekend to see Venom beat more than 40 other comic book adaptations. While critics largely hated it, the movie received an 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ CinemaScore. What was the secret to all the symbiote love spreading among the masses? Here’s what producer Amy Pascal thinks:
It's a couple of things. One of them is that Sony did a great job creating that franchise and giving it a life and giving it its own world. Then there's Tom Hardy. When you think of Venom, you'll never be able to think of anyone but Tom Hardy sitting in that bathtub of lobsters. And once you saw Tom Hardy do this character, that's all you needed to know.
There you have it, Tom Hardy was a huge selling point! The actor famously went viral when his Bane debuted in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, along with being memorable in roles such as Mad Max: Fury Road, Peaky Blinders and Inception. Audiences were on board to see the actor play Eddie Brock and didn’t necessarily need him up against Spider-Man to get excited. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at that lobster scene; it was apparently Tom Hardy's idea to jump in the tank:
Given the success, Sony has already greenlit a sequel to Venom with Kelly Marcel returning to write. There are few details known about Venom 2, but Amy Pascal did also tell Fandango this:
I can say that Tom Hardy will be back, magnificently playing that character as no one else can.
Of course they have to bring Tom Hardy back for a sequel to be in the works. There have also been reports of Michelle Williams’ Anne Weying and Woody Harrelson’s Cletus Kasady returning to their roles as well. Since the end credits of Venom set up Carnage, we’d guess the franchise would go in the direction of pitting Eddie Brock against Kasady next.
The question on many fans' minds is the future of Venom and Spider-Man teaming up on the big screen, now that Venom's origin has been set up and Tom Holland’s Spidey has been established. Marvel Chief Kevin Feige gave this answer to CinemaBlend when asked:
I think probably it's up to Sony. Sony has both those characters and has Venom in their world. I don't know what their plans are for another Venom or if they’re doing that. But it seems likely at some point.
Ok, Sony, ball is in your court! Amy Pascal -- who has been heavily involved in producing various Spider-Man projects, including Spider-Man: Far From Home, Venom, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse -- gave a promising answer with this tease:
We have big plans for Tom Holland to be a part of everything.
It’s not clear how seriously she took this answer… but it would be awesome to see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man go head-to-head with Tom Hardy’s Venom someday! Maybe in the third Spider-Man flick with Holland? Or he could show up in a Venom sequel to avoid two Spider-Man 3 movies with Venom.
What do you think? Did you enjoy Tom Hardy’s Venom and what would you like to see from the character next? Let us know in the comments below!
