Venom 3has found its director in Kelly Marcel, who previously penned the screenplays for Tom Hardy’s first two outings as the titular character in Sony’sSpider-ManUniverse franchise.
Director Ruben Fleischer helmed the firstVenomfilm and officially kicked off Sony’sSpider-ManUniverse, a franchise consisting of characters connected to the wall-crawler in the comics. Andy Serkis took over directorial duties for the sequel,Venom: Let There Be Carnage,but Marcel’s rapport with Hardy while writing and producing both installments evidently landed her the directing gig forVenom 3.
RELATED:Can Madame Web Avoid The Mistakes of Morbius?
Deadline reports that Marcel will take on directing duties forVenom 3while also serving as a producer and penning the script. Hardy has already announced that Marcel wasreturning to write theVenom 3scriptearlier this year, and insiders say Marcel became the clear choice to direct the film as the two began developing the story together. Hardy and Marcel had reportedly seen eye to eye on thefranchise since the beginning, and this continued as they agreed on how to conclude the final chapter of theVenomfilm series. Of course, Marcel won’t be the sole producer, as Hardy is also taking on the role along with Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, and Hutch Parker.
Venom 3plot details are under wraps for the time being, and it is currently unknown who (if anyone) from the previous two films will be returning alongside Hardy. SinceVenom: Let There Be Carnagepremiered in theaters, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has added Jared Leto’sMorbiusto the franchise, withDakota Johnson’sMadame Weband Aaron Taylor-Johnson’sKraven the Huntercurrently in various stages of production. Whether or not Leto’s Morbius, Johnson’s Madame Web, Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter, or any other Spider-Man Universe newcomers will join Hardy’s Lethal Protector inVenom 3is a mystery at this time.
Of course, Sony may or may not want to see how Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter are received by audiences before moving ahead with any crossovers. AfterMorbiusflopped at the box office, there may not be an appetite to see these characters meet on the silver screen, especially considering theVenomfilms didn’t exactly receive glowing reviews either, despite their box office success.
While some believeMorbiusproves Sony’s Cinematic Universe will fail, others feel theVenomfilms are entertaining enough to have a solid framework for projects likeMadame WebandKraven the Hunterto build on. Time will tell, but withVenom 3poised to be Hardy’s final outing in the role, Sony will have to step up its game when its most successful character (who isn’t Spider-Man) bows out.
