Venom: Let There Be Carnage is nearly here. Though it was subjected to the same release delays as almost every other blockbuster over the last 18 months, Venom: Let There Be Carnage will be coming out.
Initially scheduled for a summer debut, Tom Hardy's anti-hero sequel was pushed back several times before finding its autumnal home.
Though there was a tepid reaction from critics to the first Venom movie, fans were pleased enough for a sequel to be greenlit. The trailer promised a return to form for the odd-couple, and many can't wait to see them again.
Here's what we know so far about Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Venom 2 release date: When is Venom Let There Be Carnage out in cinemas?
Before all the delays started, the sequel was due in cinemas on October 2, 2020 before being shifted to June 25, 2021. That date didn't stick though and in March 2021, Sony pushed Venom: Let There Be Carnage back to September 17, 2021.
There was one little delay left though and it's currently now scheduled to hit cinemas on September 24. However, that date was brought forward in the UK to September 15 only to be pushed back again to October 15.
And perhaps surprisingly, the date was brought forward in the US to October 1!
Venom 2 trailer: When is the Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer out online?
It's here! In case you missed it above, you can finally watch the first full-length trailer. We were also granted a poster that gives you an, erm, interesting point of view...
Venom 2 cast: Who is in Venom Let There Be Carnage?
It was pretty much a given that Tom Hardy would be back as Eddie Brock and his brains chocolate-hungry alien alter ego. They make actors sign multi-film contracts these days, don'tcha know.
Michelle Williams, who stars as Eddie Brock's ex-wife Anne Weying, will also return. The actress told Yahoo! simply: "I'm in" but more importantly, Williams hopes the sequel will give She-Venom equal screen time.
One new addition to the cast is James Bond star Naomie Harris playing the villain Shriek. Speaking to IGN, director Andy Serkis said: "She's a damaged soul and she really has suffered in her childhood, but there is a real vulnerability about her, and she's in a lot of pain… She's been living in isolation for years, years and years.
"She's dangerous too and I think she has her own sense of fairness and being just, and I think when that line is crossed, then you see a very, very dangerous, dark side to her, and that's what we wanted to do with the character."
National treasure and frequent Tom Hardy colleague Stephen Graham has been confirmed to be joining the Venom sequel as Patrick Mulligan, and is likely more significant than we realise. Woody Harrelson's Carnage is of course here, and seems to have sorted out his wig problem.
While we didn't get a Spidey-sized cameo in the first Venom movie (well, not exactly), the director has hinted at a future Spider-Man crossover. Could that take place in Venom 2?
Marvel boss Kevin Feige did say it was "likely" that the Spider-Man and Venom would cross paths eventually. Fans hoping to see a Spider-Man cameo were temporarily buoyed by the plethora of spidey Easter eggs (ew) in the trailer. Unfortunately, Serkis has confirmed that they're just that – Easter eggs and nothing more.
However, a crossover plan is in place.
Venom 2 plot: What will Venom Let There Be Carnage be about?
In his breakdown of the trailer, Serkis confirmed a little more about the plot of the film, saying: "They are now what is, in effect, the Odd Couple stage of their relationship. They've been together for... a year and a half, say, since the last story. And they're figuring out how to be with each other. And it's like living with this maniac toddler."
Serkis went on to describe the strained relationship between the two, with Eddie "really struggling" unable to concentrate or work, and Venom feeling trapped "because he can't leave Eddie's body unless he has his permission".
So, in addition to whatever shenanigans Shriek and Carnage get up to, Venom: Let There Be Carnage will ultimately also be about Eddie and Venom's ongoing struggles, too.
This lines up with Venom's producer Matt Tolmach's previous comments that the sequel will focus on the relationship between Eddie and Venom (via CinemaBlend), saying: "The heart of Venom was always the relationship between Eddie and Venom."
Despite the larger cast and, particularly, more baddies, the movie won't be R-rated, according to producer Avi Arad. "When you hear Carnage, the only thing you can think of is R. But, if you know his story, if you really know the comic, there's no R here," he told Collider.
"He's a tortured soul. It's not about what he does, because we never have to show the knife going from here to there, and the blood is pouring. What you have to show is, what is the motivation?" They manage to do this all in around 90 minutes, too!
Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens in cinemas on October 15 in the UK and October 1 in the US.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
