The first trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage was released earlier today, and it's definitely got fans talking about what's to come in this highly anticipated sequel. Like 2018's Venom, it's clearly going to deliver a very different take on both title characters...for better or worse!
Andy Serkis is stepping into the director's chair for this movie, and he's now broken down some of the trailer's biggest moments, including the dynamic between Eddie and his symbiotic "other," why Cletus Kasady is so interested in the former reporter, and Brock's mission in this follow-up.
He also explains Shriek's place in the proceedings and lists Carnage's powers, some of which appear to be quite a bit different to what we've seen in the comics up until now.
To take a look through these Venom: Let There Be Carnage reveals, hit the "Next" button below!
5. Eddie And Venom's "Odd Couple" Relationship
If this trailer makes anything clear, it's that the goofy relationship between Eddie Brock and his symbiotic "other" is going to be front and centre in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. According to Serkis, they've reached the "Odd Couple stage of their relationship" by the time we find them here.
"They've been together for a year and a half, say, since the last story," the filmmaker explains. "And they're figuring out how to be with each other. And it's like living with this maniac toddler. Eddie is really struggling. He can't concentrate. He's trying to get on with work. And he, of course, only thinks about himself anyway, on the whole."
Serkis goes on to add that Eddie views Venom as "kind of a weird, screwed-up mirror version of himself," but how does the alien feel about their newfound dynamic?
"Venom of course feels trapped, because he can't leave Eddie's body unless he has his permission. And when they go out, the deal is - you live in my body, you live by my rules," Serkis says. "And we're under threat. We're in a dangerous position here. We've got to keep quiet. And nobody must know because of all the things that happened in the last story, if people find out and get a grip of what's going on then we'll both be hauled into Area 51 and examined."
4. Cletus Kasady's Interest In Eddie Brock
At the end of Venom, we saw Eddie meet with Cletus (who promised that there would be "carnage"). However, this sequel is set to elaborate on their dynamic by explaining what brings the two men together.
Serkis explains the similarities between them by saying, "They both had strange upbringings with strange relationships with their parents and their families. And there's an inherent loneliness that they both recognize in each other."
As for why Eddie would want to develop a relationship with Cletus, it doesn't sound like it's entirely the anti-hero's choice.
"Cletus actually reaches out and will only speak to Eddie Brock. That's at the beginning of the story, we learned that he's the only one he'll speak to. And the cops, therefore, want Eddie to go in and investigate and try and discover where some of the bodies, some of the many bodies of Cletus's victims are."
It sounds like Eddie has own selfish motivations...
3. Eddie's New Mission
It seems Serkis is keen to zero in on Eddie's selfishness as a character, and the filmmaker reveals that his main motivation is to regain his standing as a journalist by getting the scoop of the century from the serial killer (look closely and you'll notice The Daily Bugle in this first look).
"He's on a mission. But also, he's self-serving in only the way that Eddie can be. He wants to get in there and maybe he can make a story, get back to what he wants to do most, which is writing and the written word and being a journalist," the director teases. "So this sets up really the confrontation, or the false relationship, that Eddie sort of pretends to have with Cletus, in order to get information out of it."
If we had to hazard a guess, Carnage will go after Eddie/Venom because he feels betrayed, and Serkis went on to drop some intriguing hints about those drawings on the walls inside Cletus' cell.
"Cletus has an extraordinary child-like but vivid imagination and mind, and he expresses himself by drawing," the director says. "His cell is completely covered with these really bizarre markings and expressions. It's like his anger and frustration and his sadness and his desperation and his loneliness."
2. What's The Deal With Shriek?
While she doesn't suit up, the Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer does feature our first look at Naomie Harris as Shriek. In the comic books, she has a weird romantic relationship with Cletus, and while Serkis wouldn't comment on that, he did shed some light on what to expect from the villain.
"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," he teases. "She's been living in isolation for years, years and years."
"With all of these characters, what's so beautifully drawn about them is that they're multi-faceted, they're totally truthful and believable, and yet. 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."
She sounds like an intriguing addition to the sequel, and that apparent shot of Ravencroft blowing up does seemingly confirm that Shriek and Carnage plan to team up.
1. Carnage's Powers
The movie marks Carnage's live-action debut, and it sounds like Serkis had a blast bringing the iconic villain to life on screen. As well as coming up with his appearance, though, it seems like a lot of thought was put into his powers.
"He can turn to mist. He can turn to all manner of tendrils. He can take different forms. He can weaponize, he can do all of these different things," the filmmaker reveals. "With all symbiotes, they reflect the person who is their host. So the darkness of Carnage, the playfulness, the wit, the strangeness."
"Cletus has a real intelligence and a real sense of humor, and we wanted to reflect that in the symbiote that is linked to him."
This sounds like a different approach to the villain, but will it be as much of a departure from the comic books as the first Venom movie with the title character and Riot? That obviously remains to be seen for now...
Many thanks to IGN for the quotes used here. Check out their full breakdown below: