It was recently confirmed that Venom: Let There Be Carnage has a runtime of around 90 minutes, which surprised many fans (the first movie was only 112 minutes with credits). It's rare we see a blockbuster fall under the two-hour mark, but director Andy Serkis has now explained that he always planned to deliver a shorter, more concise sequel.
"It was actually always going to be...we always wanted this film to be a real thrill ride," the filmmaker told IGN earlier this week. "And a fast, muscular...not hanging around too much with exposition. But having said that, I think what we've done is achieve a real balance between dropping anchor with all of the characters so that you feel that you're fully immersed in them and that we're not just rushing through to the next battle or action part."
Serkis added that the team working on Venom: Let There Be Carnage knew from the start that they had to "get Carnage into the story at a certain point and [they] didn't want to linger too long before that happens." Despite that, he was quick to point out that the sequel doesn't rush through the relationship between Eddie and Venom and, when he reached the editing room, it was vital "that the comedy was being supported by real emotion and pathos and real feelings."
"You get sucked in," Serkis concluded. "Like, once Carnage comes to life, Eddie is then hiding to nothing to get there and trying to track him down. So it had its own internal sort of energy and pace that you couldn't escape."
It's pretty fascinating to get these insights from the director, and there's enough here to hopefully ease the minds of those concerned that Venom: Let There Be Carnage won't be long enough at 90 minutes. That runtime is certainly going to help the sequel when it arrives in theaters because the number of screenings will be increased by a fairly significant amount.
We're going to have a lot more to share with you from this one over the next couple of weeks, including our own conversation with Serkis about many of the key moments in the sequel!
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is set to be released on the big screen on October 1.