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May 30 | 2 min readVenom was one of the biggest films of 2018, grossing more than $800 million worldwide.
Tom Hardy (Peaky Blinders, Inception) plays journalist Eddie Brock, who acquires the powers of an alien symbiote, Venom.
The Sony superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, also stars Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed and Jenny Slate.
We reveal the best bits about Venom, unearth fascinating facts about the film, find out who’s in the cast and more...
Who’s in the cast?
Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock / Venom
Dunkirk, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, as well as his long-running role in period TV drama Peaky Blinders.
He plays the lead character, journalist Eddie Brock, who becomes the host of an alien symbiote, Venom, which gives him super-human abilities.
Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake / Riot
Hardy's fellow Brit achieved critical acclaim for his role in limited series The Night Of, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and won an Emmy award. You also might recognise him from films including Star Wars spin-off Rogue One and Nightcrawler.
Ahmed plays Carlton Drake, genius inventor and CEO of bio-engineering corporation, Life Foundation. He bonds to another symbiote known as Riot.
Michelle Williams as Anne Weying
The American actress is mainly known for her work in dark movies, although recently she played a comedic role in I Am Pretty and appeared as Charity Barnum in musical The Greatest Showman. She has been nominated for four acting Oscars for Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn and Manchester by the Sea.
In Venom - Williams' first ever superhero film - she plays Anne Weying, a successful lawyer, and Eddie Brock’s ex-fiancée. In the comics, Anne becomes She-Venom in the future.
Venom also features Scott Haze as security chief Roland Treece, Reid Scott as Dr Dan Lewis and Jenny Slate as Life Foundation scientist Dora Skirth.
Why to watch Venom...
Tom Hardy is the best Venom
Tom Hardy’s portrayal of Venom isn’t the first time the anti-hero has appeared on the big screen. That ‘70s Show actor Topher Grace played Venom alongside Tobey Maguire in 2007 superhero movie, Spider-Man 3.
According to IndieWire.com, critics weren’t too kind about his performance, but Grace himself has no hard feelings against Hardy for taking up the character. In fact, he thinks he’s the best person for the job!
“To me - I truly mean this - I think Tom is the guy to play that role,” Grace told Inverse about Hardy’s casting. “I’m thrilled to watch it as a fan. I really mean that. I think he’s just the best dude.”
He adds: “I’m really excited to see [Tom Hardy’s version]. That’s the character I grew up with.”
In contrast to the criticism received by Grace in 2007, critics praised Tom Hardy’s performance, especially the “internal struggle” between Venom and Eddie Brock, saying Hardy gave “his absolute best”.
A sequel is already being rumoured
Venom was the 5th highest-grossing movie of 2018, grossing $855,471,423 around the world.
To put that into perspective, more people went to see Venom at the cinema than superhero films Ant-Man and the Wasp ($622.7 worldwide gross) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ($224.0 worldwide gross) combined.
It’s no wonder then that a sequel to the flick, starring Hardy, is already being heavily rumoured.
In late November 2018, Variety reported, “An untitled Sony-Marvel project will hit theaters on July 10, 2020, with an untitled Sony-Marvel sequel following on Oct. 2.”
Considering October 2, 2020, is two years after Venom’s initial release, Variety takes this to mean it’s the release date of the sequel.
In an interview with Discussing Film, Venom screenwriter Jeff Pinkner says of a sequel: “I can’t say anything other than that it is happening.”
And Variety reported in January 2019 that Kelly Marcel, one of the screenwriters from the first film, has been tapped to write the script.
Here’s hoping for a She-Venom cameo!
Venom trivia: Did you know…
1. Tom Hardy’s 10-year-old son Louis was part of the reason he took the role. Speaking at Comic-Con, he said: "My son is a massive Venom fan, and he was a strong influence on why I should play Venom specifically. I wanted to do something my son could watch. So I did something where I bite people's heads off."
2. Eddie Brock works at the Daily Globe - a rival newspaper of the Daily Bugle, where Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) worked as a photographer.
3. Superhero universe crossover alert! Kryptonite - the alien mineral which can deprive Superman of his powers - is mentioned in the film.
4. The line from the movie “eyes, lungs, pancreas - so many snacks, so little time” is taken directly from The Amazing Spider-Man comic books.
5. Doctor Who’s Matt Smith was considered for the role of Carlton Drake, Finn Wittrock was considered for Venom, while Alan Tudyk was considered for Carnage.
6. [SPOILER ALERT] Venom’s end-credits scene features Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady, who Marvel fans will know becomes the host of the Carnage symbiote. He tells Eddie Brock - who visits him in prison - that “there’s gonna be carnage”. A nod to a potential sequel perhaps?
Watch Venom if you liked…
Deadpool, Spider-Man films, Suicide Squad, The Predator, Alien, Upgrade, Life.
Watch the Venom trailer:
More superhero movies in the BT TV Film Store:
There are a ton of Spider-Man movies available to buy in the BT TV Film Store, including Spider-Man: Homecoming. Both of the Deadpool movies are available to buy or rent on BT TV from just £2.50.
