At this point, the Venom franchise is what it is. Ask most fans, and they'd say it should have picked up with Eddie Brock after clashing with Spider-Man for an R-Rated series of movies about him serving as San Francisco's Lethal Protector.
Sony Pictures wouldn't have needed to include Spidey in that, as Venom's origin story could have played out off-screen. Instead, the decision was made to put a new spin on the character, ditching Spider-Man altogether and telling a goofy, PG-13 buddy story about Eddie and his Symbiote.
Venom: The Last Dance is billed as Tom Hardy's final Venom movie, though rumours continue to swirl that he'll either be back for Spider-Man 4 or some sort of Sony-produced team-up project with Knull as the big bad.
The Wrap asked Hardy and writer/director Kelly Marcel whether they ever think about making a Logan-style Venom movie that's dark, gritty, and R-Rated.
"Oh yeah!" the actor replied before the filmmaker chimed in to say, "We’re desperate to do that! Desperate!"
Hardy added, "We’ve already got that. We envisioned that on 'Venom 2.' We’re already there. We’re quick as well. It’s like we’ve got four or five movies already on the side, in different tones, with multiple characters."
"If you ask us to do something. We’re not shy, but we have to edit down to what the mission statement is. We’re both busy heads. If we say we’re going to do something, we mean it."
Will a Venom movie like this ever happen? Given the success of Deadpool & Wolverine this summer and the fact Kraven the Hunter boasts an R-Rating, we'd imagine it's something Sony is at least open to considering for a future project.
You can check out our interview with Marcel in the player below.
"The most cinematic, monumental Venom movie to date, we said in our recent review of the movie, "The Last Dance leaves room for improvement but by upping the stakes and allowing Eddie and Venom to bond, it’s epic and heartfelt enough to leave us hoping this is far from Tom Hardy’s last whirl as the Lethal Protector."
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel's greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
The movie stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, and Rhys Ifans. Kelly Marcel directs from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker.
Venom: The Last Dance is now playing in theaters.