Of the movies released so far in Sony’s Universe of Spider-Man characters, only Venom had really managed to deliver a substantial box office consistently, so a third movie in the franchise was never in doubt. After the success of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, many believed that Andy Serkis would return to the director’s chair for the threequel after hinting at the franchise’s future during press tours. However, the prolific actor and director will not helm Venom 3, with long-term Venom producer Kelly Marcel stepping up to the hot seat, and Serkis recently told /Film exactly why. He said:
“Look, I had a ball doing [Venom: Let There Be Carnage]. Tom Hardy is such a good friend of mine, and I felt very proud of the work, and we had such fun doing it. To be the custodian of that franchise for a little while was great. I’ve got so many projects that I was just about to [work on], like ‘Animal Farm’ for instance. We were just about to go into production with that, and then we delayed as ‘Venom’ came up. I really have to be very on top of the ones that I’ve been building to do for such a long time. But I’m really delighted that Kelly’s doing that. She’s so in control of that material with Tom. The pair of them are such a great team to work with. I’m really excited to see what they’re going to come up with.”
Will Venom 3 Be Tom Hardy’s Last Marvel Movie?
Sony Pictures Releasing
All good things must come to an end, and although by the time Venom 3 comes out, there will be a whole universe of other Spider-Man-related villains out there, it has not yet been confirmed whether Hardy will be around as part of it. However, during Venom: Let There Be Carnage press briefings, Hardy and Serkis both seemed to think that, ultimately, Venom would cross over with a version of Spider-Man. Although Serkis has already dipped out of the franchise, could Hardy go the distance? He previously said of a potential Spider-Man face-off:
Having also claimed that he is “deeply invested” in the Venom franchise, which has been proven by his contribution to the third movie’s writing process, it would be hard to imagine Sony’s universe without Tom Hardy’s symbiote at its black heart. Whether any of this happens seems purely to rely on the next run of movies not falling to the same fate as Morbius, as it takes more than just Venom to build Sony’s ambitious universe, which has so far lacked bite.
“I wouldn’t be doing the job if I wasn’t awake and open to any opportunity or eventuality or be excited by that. Obviously, that’s a large canyon to leap, to be bridged by one person alone, and it would take a much higher level of diplomacy and intelligence, sitting down and talking, to take on an arena such as that. Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don’t see why it couldn’t be.”
