The Big Picture

• Sony CEO confirms Venom: The Last Dance will be the final film in the franchise this fall, emphasizing importance of great scripts and directors.
• Studio aims to balance big IP sequels with adventurous new content to cater to diverse audience types and serve cultural urgency.
• Details on Venom: The Last Dance remain scarce, with casting additions of Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor, set for theatrical release on October 25.

Sony is satisfied with how much Venom there is out there. The company's CEO has confirmed in a conversation with Deadline that the third film, Venom: The Last Dance, will be the final film. Set to premiere this fall, it will see the Tom Hardy-led franchise grind to a halt. Tom Rothwell talked about how Sony plans to give all its films everything to ensure that they're as successful and "huge" as possible. He stressed the importance of finding a great script and director to attract the best talent and push a new entrant or big IP sequels to achieve their best. He also talked about the biggest IP films in various stages of development at Sony and revealed Venom 3 would be the last, saying,

"The larger point I’m making is that I think a healthy slate going forward is not going to be one side of the divide or the other. It’s going to have a balance of big IP solid sequels. Let me tell you when the last of the Spider-Verse movies comes with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, it’s going to be a significant event, as will the next Tom Holland Spider-Man film. And when all the Karate Kid storylines come together with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan and a new young karate kid. For those fans, that’s going to be a significant moment. We have those. The third and last Venom, is going to be huge."

He talked about how the studio plans to capture as many audience types as possible. While some people may be excited about the next film in their favorite franchise, others want something fresh and adventurous that could be the beginning of another franchise. It is all about striking a balance, something he iterated, saying,

"But I just believe that the real win for us is to have a slate that balances those movies with some of the more adventurous stuff. There’s a significant segment of the audience out there, which is underserved for adventurousness. They’re underserved for newness, they’re underserved for cultural urgency."

About 'Venom: The Last Dance'

Details about the film are scarce, with Sony keeping the plot under wraps, but some cast additions have been revealed. Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange) will appear in undisclosed roles. Kelly Marcel sits in the director's chair for the film after she wrote the first two. She directs from a script co-written by herself and Hardy. Despite filming being interrupted by the Hollywood strikes of 2023, the film finally wrapped and set a theatrical release date.

Venom: The Last Dance will be in theaters on October 25. The first two films are streaming on Disney+ in the US.

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