VENOM: Tom Hardy Signs On To Play Eddie Brock In Spider-Man Spin-Off; ZOMBIELAND's Ruben Fleischer To Direct
If you weren't excited before, you may want to change your tune as Sony Pictures has just announced that The Dark Knight Rises' star Tom Hardy has signed on to play the title role in Venom!
Sony Pictures announced today that Academy Award-nominated actor Tom Hardy has signed on to play Eddie Brock in their upcoming R-rated Marvel film Venom.
The high-priority project is being developed as its own standalone feature, not as a Spider-Man spin-off, as the studio attempts to launch their own extended cinematic universe that will utilize characters from their surprisingly large Marvel library. It's still uncertain at this point in time whether his archrival Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming) or by an older actor, will make any sort of appearance in this upcoming venture.
Hardy, who is on the record as a huge fan of Venom, is a major get for the studio as they attempt to expand their Spider-Verse. He also comes with some pretty solid comic book movie experience, having previously starred as classic Batman villain Bane in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. After that, he was courted for key roles in X-Men: Apocalypse and Suicide Squad, but ultimately turned both offers down.
Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) will direct with a script from Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) and Jeff Pinkner (The Dark Tower).
Production is expected to begin this fall with a release date already set for October 5, 2018.
Hardy is best known for his roles in The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Warrior, The Drop, Legend, and Inception. He also recently completed the first season of Taboo, a series he co-created, and will be seen next in Christopher Nolan's war drama Dunkirk this summer.
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