Ever since the death of Sony's Spider-Man Universe, fans have been waiting to learn what the future holds for Spider-Man characters. While there is one more installment left in the Spider-Verse franchise (with some exciting spin-offs officially in the works), many questions remain about the fate of many Spidey villains. Will they find a new home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Will Sony try to reboot its villainous live-action universe? Well, the answer is a bit of both.
On the one hand, it has been reported that Sony is now more open to sharing its Spider-Man characters with the MCU. At long last, we could see the likes of Venom, Morbius, and Kraven face Tom Holland's Peter Parker. On the other hand, we're about to witness another solo movie spotlighting an iconic Spidey villain. However, there's one big difference this time around: the project will be animated.
An animated Venom movie is officially in the works
As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Sony is working on a Venom animated movie. Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein—the directors behind the critically acclaimed Final Destination: Bloodlines—will helm the symbiotic project. Furthermore, Tom Hardy is potentially involved in the film, though his role remains unclear. However, it is theorized that Hardy could be a producer or even bring the Lethal Protector to life once more by voicing the character.
There are no writers attached to the Venom film just yet, given that it is still in very early stages of development. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach will produce the animated movie, just like they did with its live-action counterpart. Additionally, it wasn't disclosed whether Eddie Brock will be the one to bond with the symbiote, or if someone else, like Flash Thompson, will take his place.
With so many unknowns and no script in place just yet, the Venom animated movie is still years away. However, it's nice to have confirmation that the project is a reality, after many months of rumors and speculation. Moreover, if Sony keeps pursuing success in the animated world, then it wouldn't interfere with any live-action plans for Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
Sony could develop a connected universe of animated projects, while the wall-crawler finally has access to his complete library of rogues in the MCU. Spider-Man fans would be the true winners of this arrangement, as they would get no shortage of exciting stories. That's without taking into account the live-action series like Spider-Noir, which will feature an isolated (and dark) narrative.
Venom: The Last Dance introduced Knull as a major threat that was intended to steal the spotlight in another project, but that day never came. However, there's a chance that the King in Black will make a return for the animated Venom project. That would also open the doors for a team-up between many symbiotic characters, such as Eddie Brock, Flash Thompson, and potentially even Mary Jane (especially now that she has taken over the Venom mantle in comic book pages).
The future is bright for Spider-Man fans. The wall-crawler will jump to the big screen this year courtesy of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while he will take over Disney+ with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2. Furthermore, Spider-Noir will also be released in 2026. Beyond that, we still have the release of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and now an animated Venom film. Come on, Marvel, just give us a team-up project between the web-slinger and Daredevil, and we'll be all set.