om Hardy has revealed Sony’s forthcoming Venom movie will be based on the Lethal Protector comic book series.
The actor made the revelation in a recorded message for Sony’s presentation at the Comic Con Experience 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (via comicbook.com).
During the recording, Hardy also revealed the 2018 movie will be set in San Francisco and will be ‘important to the Marvel universe’ as a whole.
Venom follows the adventures of Eddie Brock (Hardy), the character who first becomes Marvel villain Venom.
The Lethal Protector comic series was published by Marvel Comics in 1993 and begins with Venom and Spider-Man agreeing to a truce and Venom moving to San Francisco.
However, once in San Francisco, Venom is attacked by the son of one of his past victims and hunted down by the Life Foundation, who want to use his Venom symbiote for their own purposes – which is when trouble really ensues.
Venom stars Tom Hardy in the titular role; with Jenny Slate, Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed also on board.
Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer will direct the project, while Fifty Shades of Grey scriptwriter Kelly Marcel, Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji) and Jeff Pinkner are signed up for writing duties.
Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing the movie, along with Sony chairman Amy Pascal, who oversaw the first Sony/Marvel film Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Previously, Pascal has said Venom does exist within the same universe as Spider-Man: Homecoming.
However, this seemed at odds with Marvel boss Kevin Feige’s statement that there were no plans to bring Venom into the MCU.
Indeed, while Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will not appear in any Venom outings, it is thought Venom could make an appearance in Spider-Man films in the foreseeable future, which would more than explain the discrepancies in Pascal and Feige’s statements.
Say it is so, Marvel.
Venom is due out in cinemas on October 5, 2018.
