Tom Hardy set to return in Venom 2 and more

Former studio executive-turned-film producer, Amy Pascal, confirmed that actor Tom Hardy will reprise his role as Venom in the sequel.

Ever since fellow British actor, Tom Holland, graced the silver screen as none other than Peter Parker/Spider–Man in Captain America: Civil War, the brand of Spidey has never been better on film, on TV and in games. No matter how you slice it, if Amy Pascal never had negotiated a deal with Kevin Feige to place Spidey within the MCU, who knows what the brand may end up like. Now, Pascal confirmed on Fandango that another Brit in the form of Tom Hardy will reprise his role as Eddie Brock/Venom.

"“I can say that Tom Hardy will be back, magnificently playing that character as no one else can.”"

Venom, of course, was a surprise hit last year, earning $855 million worldwide at the box office. Pascal did not shy away from Hardy attributing to the film’s success. She told Fandango, “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.”"

Hardy was announced to play the anti-hero of the same name in May 2017 and Ruben Fleischer, who will not be returning to helm the sequel, was appointed the director of Venom. Pascal then added:

"“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.”"

Fandango briefly mentioned the deal Phil Lord and Chris Miller signed, worth nine figures, with Sony Television to develop projects centered on characters related to Spider-Man. Pascal shot down the idea that Miles Morales’ character seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will be relegated to just the small screen.

Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, when questioned about Spidey’s future with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, right around the corner and the possibility of a Venom and Spidey crossover, he told Cinema Blend, “Sony has both these 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.”"

Just to be clear, while Sony does indeed maintain the rights to both Spider-Man and Venom, does not mean a crossover with the characters is in the cards. Right now, Sony are busy developing a shared-universe adjunct to the MCU. Their very own (SUMC) Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, with the second entry being Morbius, which is currently filming and set for July 31, 2020.

Along with Hardy, Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson will reprise their roles. No director has been tapped for Venom 2. Kelly Marcel, one of the co-writers of the original film, is penning the screenplay and is executive producer. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal are producing the film, set for an Oct. 2, 2020 release.