Venom may not have gotten the greatest critical reception, but it made a killing at the box office. That made a sequel an inevitability, and Sony is moving full steam ahead. However, Ruben Fleischer, having helmed the first film, will not be returning for the follow-up. Thus, Sony is on the hunt for a new director, and they’ve reportedly narrowed it down to three names.
THR reports that there are several filmmakers in the mix, but Andy Serkis, Rupert Wyatt, and Travis Knight are the three frontrunners. Serkis has reportedly had meetings with the studio, and considering his expertise with motion-capture work, he would be an exciting choice.
Serkis has appeared in plenty of comic book films, but has never directed one. Knight recently directed Bumblebee, probably the best reviewed Transformers movie. Considering the heart he was able to bring to a franchise thoroughly lacking in an emotional core prior to his arrival, that might be the kind of thing Sony is looking for with Venom.
Wyatt directed Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, so is experienced with big budgets. However since then he’s helmed the The Gambler remake and the poorly reviewed Captive State. He seems like an outside choice at this point. Serkis looks like the favourite, despite having the least directorial experience of the three.
Sony will have to move fast to capitalise on the success of the first film. The plan is to get cameras rolling by November of this year for a presumed release of October 2, 2020. That date is currently earmarked as Untitled Sony/Marvel Sequel, but I think we can all guess what that means.
So far, the only confirmation is Tom Hardy‘s return and that Kelly Marcel is writing the script. We’ll wait and see who gets the job.
#Peace.Love.Venom2
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