Venom: The Last Dance
“Venom: The Last Dance” is an upcoming superhero film from Columbia Pictures, Marvel, and Sony Pictures Releasing, set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Directed and written by Kelly Marcel, the movie features Tom Hardy reprising his role as Eddie Brock and Venom. The storyline follows their desperate flight from adversaries in both the human and alien realms. Co-starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, and Stephen Graham, the film promises high-stakes action and complex character dynamics.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In August 2018, Tom Hardy announced his commitment to a third and final Venom film, with development commencing by December 2021 following the release of the second installment. By June 2022, Kelly Marcel and Hardy began crafting the script, with Marcel slated to helm the project for her directorial debut in October that year. Joining the cast in mid-2023 were newcomers Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple, and filming commenced in Spain at the end of June 2023. However, production was temporarily halted the following month due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, before resuming in November after the strike concluded. Filming wrapped up by the end of February 2024, and the film’s title was unveiled a month later.
Cast
Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist who becomes the host of Venom, an alien symbiote granting him superhuman abilities. Chiwetel Ejiofor portrays a determined military soldier tracking Eddie and Venom, aiming to capture the symbiote. Juno Temple stars as a dedicated scientist also pursuing Eddie and Venom. Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach, and Peggy Lu round out the cast in undisclosed roles. Additionally, Stephen Graham plays Patrick Mulligan, a detective who crosses paths with Eddie and becomes bonded with a symbiote known as Toxin.
Production
Tom Hardy confirmed in August 2018 his commitment to star in three Venom films. By September 2021, Hardy and producers acknowledged the ongoing development of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) while expressing interest in deeper integration with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Andy Serkis, director of Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), expressed enthusiasm for directing another Venom installment, emphasizing the exploration of new facets of Venom’s world, such as the Ravencroft Institute and potential villains held there, before any potential crossover with Spider-Man. In October, Tom Holland discussed the possibility of reprising his MCU role as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in future Venom sequels, following his cameo appearance via MCU footage in Let There Be Carnage. Amy Pascal, the producer, confirmed in December that they were in the initial planning stages for Venom 3.
Sony Pictures officially announced the development of the film at CinemaCon in April 2022. In June of that year, Tom Hardy disclosed that Kelly Marcel, who had previously worked on the earlier Venom films, was penning the screenplay, with Hardy co-writing the story. His involvement was reportedly set to earn him $20 million. Andy Serkis, unable to return as director due to commitments to “Animal Farm,” had his place filled by Kelly Marcel, who signed on in October to make her directorial debut with the film, marking the conclusion of the Venom trilogy. Alongside Hardy, the film’s producers include Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Hutch Parker, all through their respective production companies. Columbia Pictures, in association with Marvel Entertainment, also produces the film. Tom Hardy confirmed in February 2023 that pre-production had commenced. Juno Temple entered negotiations to join the cast in a significant role in April, and filming was scheduled to begin in London in June, with Chiwetel Ejiofor joining the cast alongside Temple. The film was slated for release in October 2024.
Film
Principal photography for the film commenced on June 26, 2023, at Los Mateos in Cartagena, Spain, and also at the Calblanque Regional Park, operating under the working title “Orwell.” Fabian Wagner, previously an additional cinematographer on “Let There Be Carnage,” serves as the cinematographer for this installment. However, filming was interrupted by the onset of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike in mid-July 2023, leading to a temporary halt.
Initially scheduled for release on July 12, 2024, the film faced a delay after the strike ended in early November 2023. Sony subsequently rescheduled its release to November 8, 2024, filling a slot previously reserved for an untitled Marvel film. Production preparations resumed, and filming recommenced on November 16, 2023.
In February 2024, Clark Backo joined the cast in a role that has not been disclosed. By the end of the month, Juno Temple indicated that filming was nearing completion.
Post-production
In March 2024, the film officially adopted the title “Venom: The Last Dance” and moved its release date up to October 25, 2024. The first teaser trailer, launched in June, confirmed the return of Peggy Lu and Stephen Graham in their roles as Mrs. Chen and Patrick Mulligan from previous Venom films. Additionally, the trailer revealed the casting of Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach, and Cristo Fernández.
Rhys Ifans, known for his portrayal of Curt Connors / Lizard in Sony’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” joins the cast. Cristo Fernández, who appeared in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” as a bartender interacting with Brock in the MCU multiverse, also joins the ensemble.
Commentators such as Germain Lussier from io9 speculated on the significance of Ifans and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s roles, questioning whether their appearances indicate commentary on the multiverse rather than continuity with their prior MCU characters. Molly Edwards from Total Film also noted confusion surrounding references to the mid-credits scene of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in the trailer, as the Venom films exist in a separate continuity from the MCU.