To the surprise of many, Sony’s Venom was a massive success at the box office last year, earning over $856 million worldwide. This success all but ensured that Tom Hardy’s anti-hero movie would be getting a sequel and sure enough it is. That sequel has been coming together recently and it now looks like Venom 2 will actually begin filming soon.
According to Production Weekly, Venom 2 is set to begin filming this fall on November 25, a little over a year and a month since the first film debuted in theaters. The sequel film will also be shooting under the working title “Fillmore.” The production listing revealed nothing else about what we can expect from this huge sequel.
That working title for Venom 2 doesn’t seem to be a reference to the comics or offer any obvious clues towards what this film will be. The Fillmore is a historic music venue in San Francisco, where the first Venom took place, but that’s about it. There was also a Disney cartoon called Fillmore!, where every character was named after a street in San Francisco. So as far as insight we can glean from this working title goes, that’s about it, which is to say, nothing.
Venom 2 shooting so soon should be exciting for fans, who helped Ruben Fleischer’s film become a smashing success despite an absolutely miserable critical reception. One imagines that Sony wants to get Venom 2 out as soon as possible and with it going before cameras in the very near future, fans hopefully won’t have too long to wait to see Tom Hardy’s symbiote once more.
Although an official release date has not been announced, Venom 2 is expected to hit theaters on October 2, 2020. This would be right in line with the original’s October 5 release date, showing that Sony wants to recreate the conditions that resulted in the first one being such a success.
Although the sequel will be an October release, it will be changing things up behind the camera. Ruben Fleischer has the long-awaited Zombieland: Double Tap hitting theaters this fall but he will not be returning to direct Venom 2. That job has gone to performance capture luminary Andy Serkis, who will take on the project as his third theatrical feature, following Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.
In addition to directing, Andy Serkis is also crafting the story for the film alongside star Tom Hardy and writer Kelly Marcel. We’ll have to see what that team can come up with, but no matter what Venom 2 should look pretty darn good. In a surprising hire, legendary cinematographer Robert Richardson will be shooting Venom 2.
Richardson previously worked on Serkis’ directorial debut Breathe, as well as serving as the DP for many of the films of Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.
Besides star Tom Hardy, Venom 2 will also be bringing back Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson, who showed up in the original’s end credits scene as Cletus Kasady, a serial killer who in the comics eventually becomes Carnage.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest Venom 2 news as it develops. In the meantime, check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what movies you can look forward to this fall.
