Venom: Let There Be Carnage writer Kelly Marcel recently explained why Tom Hardy has a story credit on the upcoming Sony blockbuster. The superhero sequel marks the first time Hardy has had a writing credit on a feature film.
Andy Serkis' Let There Be Carnage is the direct sequel to 2018's Venom and the third film the actor-turned-filmmaker has directed to date (Breathe, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle). Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Reid Scott are reprising their roles from the original, while Woody Harrelson is playing the titular villain, Cletus Kasady/Carnage. The mid-credits scene of Venom showed Harrelson’s Carnage being kept in a maximum-security cell in San Quentin Prison.
Marcel, who is best known for writing Fifty Shades of Grey and Saving Mr. Banks, co-wrote Venom's screenplay with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. While the British screenwriter received the full screenplay credit for the sequel, Marcel told Empire that Hardy played an integral role in developing the film's story. “This is new for him, to get credit, but it’s not new for him to be this involved,” said Marcel, while adding, “He’s absolutely 100 percent committed to everything that he does.” Marcel noted that Hardy is married to Venom and is heavily involved in the direction of the beloved character.
The screenwriter went on to detail their writing process. While Hardy didn't sit down, get a pen, and write, he was constantly sharing his ideas with her. “We spent months breaking the story together on FaceTime, riffing on ideas, seeing what worked, seeing what didn’t. Then I took everything we spoke about and holed up somewhere for three months quietly, knocking out a script.” Filming finished in 2020 and now Venom 2 is scheduled to be released in theatres this fall after several COVID-related delays. Despite earning negative reviews from critics, the original was a box office hit, grossing over $850 million worldwide on a $100 million budget.
Venom is in the same universe as Sony’s upcoming Morbius. Directed by Daniel Espinosa (Safe House, Life), Morbius follows Jared Leto’s Michael, a renowned scientist who attempts to cure himself of a rare blood disease by undergoing an experimental treatment that involves bat DNA. The experiment goes awry, causing the Nobel Prize-winning biologist to develop pseudo-vampiric abilities and physical traits. Morbius the Living Vampire/ Dr. Michael Morbius, created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, first appeared in 1971’s The Amazing Spider-Man #101. Morbius is a pseudo-vampire who does not possess all the powers and weaknesses of a traditional supernatural vampire.
Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless penned the upcoming film’s script, while Matt Tolmach, Avi Arad, and Lucas Foster are serving as producers. The cast includes Matt Smith as Loxias Crown, Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft, and Tyrese Gibson as Simon Stroud. Meanwhile, Michael Keaton is reprising his role as Adrian Toomes/Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming. Sony's Morbius was originally slated to be released in theatres in summer 2020 but will now premiere on January 28 of 2022.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is scheduled to be released on September 24, 2021.
Source: Empire