Andy Serkis will officially direct “Venom 2” for Sony, TheWrap has learned.
According to Games Radar, Serkis said he’s had meetings with Sony executives to direct the sequel after a Hollywood Reporter report last month that he was in contention for the job.
“Venom” grossed $856 million worldwide during its 2018 theatrical release and starred Tom Hardy as the symbiote — the actor will reprise his role in the sequel, while Michelle Williams is expected to return as well alongside Woody Harrelson as Carnage. Kelly Marcel, one of the screenwriters of the first film, is writing the script for the sequel. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal will return as producers.
Ruben Fleischer directed the first film. It received a score of 29 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Serkis most recently starred in “Long Shot” and “Black Panther,” and directed “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” and “Breathe.” He also served as an executive producer on 2017’s “The Ritual.” Of course, he also placed Caesar in “War for the Planet of the Apes.” His upcoming projects include “SAS: Red Notice” and “A Christmas Carol.”
Serkis is represented by CAA and Principal Entertainment.
Spider-Man Movie Villains Ranked, From Venom to The Vulture (Photos)
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" features some of the best Marvel movie villains in both the Spider-Man and MCU movies to date. Here is TheWrap's rankings from the worst to the best.
12. Rhino Paul Giamatti's overdone silly accent + mech suit take on this classic bad guy is the worst Spider villain in what may be the worst "Spider-Man" film. Thanks, but Rhino thanks.
Sony Pictures
11. Venom Long before making his third "Spider-Man" film, Sam Raimi was on the record as not liking this character at all. Sony forced him to include Venom (played by Topher Grace) anyway, which might be why it turned out so bad.
Sony Pictures
10. Electro Jamie Foxx's forgettable portrayal of Max Dillon/Electro in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" was equal parts terrible cgi, terrible performance, and all cheese.
Sony Pictures
9. The Lizard "The Amazing Spider-Man"'s Curt Connors/The Lizard was equal parts bad cgi, bad character design, and a bad take on one of Spidey's most iconic enemies. What a waste of Rhys Ifans.
Sony Pictures
8. Sandman Thomas Haden Church was still hot off his "Sideways" career rejuvenation when he played Flint Marko/Sandman in "Spider-Man 3." He's pretty good... too bad the movie isn't.
Sony Pictures
7. The Tinkerer Michael Chernus played the first-ever movie version of The Tinkerer, seen in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" as one of the Vulture's inner circle. He's the guy who reverse-engineered alien tech and created the Vulture crew's gadgets.
Sony Pictures
6. Harry Osbourne/GreenGoblin Perhaps one of the only saving graces from "The Amazing Spider-Man" duology is Dane Dehaan's Harry Osbourne, who had a much better arc than his predecessor.
Sony Pictures
5. The Shocker "Fargo" star Bokeem Woodbine's grounded portrayal of this "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is an MCU standout.
Sony Pictures
4. Harry Osbourne (James Franco) James Franco's version of Harry Osborn appears in all three Sam Raimi-directed "Spider-Man" movies. He went from being Spidey's best bud to one of the bad guys.
Sony Pictures
3. Green Goblin Willem Dafoe gives an great performance as Norman Osbourne/The Green Goblin in the first "Spider-Man," though the character gets an uneven and incomplete arc, keeping it out of the top 2.
Sony Pictures
2. The Vulture Michael Keaton's performance as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture is not only a fun meta-joke about his Oscar-nominated role in "Birdman," it also finally solved the Marvel Cinematic Universe's so-called villain problem.
Sony Pictures
1. Doctor Octopus Alfred Molina portrayal of Otto Octavius in "Spider-Man 2" remains the gold standard by which all Marvel movie villains are judged by.
Some of the best Marvel movie villains have appeared in ”Spider-Man“ movies
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" features some of the best Marvel movie villains in both the Spider-Man and MCU movies to date. Here is TheWrap's rankings from the worst to the best.