It's no secret that superhero movies are everywhere, as multiple studios duke it out for box office supremacy. As such, there is the fear of superhero fatigue, where the genre becomes to oversaturated that the blockbusters all mold together, essentially cancelling themselves out. If any superhero movie had the potential to fade into the background last year, it was Ruben Fleischer's Venom. Fans weren't sure how the movie would function without Spider-Man's inclusion, but Venom ended up making a surprising amount of money at the box office, allowing a sequel to be green-lit by Sony.
Venom's sequel is currently in active development, and will likely focus on Woody Harrelson's Carnage, who was introduced during the film's credits scene. But now it looks like director Ruben Fleischer won't be involved in the next installment in the burgeoning franchise. While writer Kelly Marcel will reportedly return to work on the screenplay alongside Tom Hardy, Sony is apparently searching for a new director to helm the upcoming sequel.
This news comes to us from Variety, which reports that Ruben Fleischer will be too busy with other directing projects to return for Venom 2. Instead, Sony will find new talent to helm the follow up film, and hopefully capture the same unique tone. Venom had a dark sense of humor and self-awareness that set it apart from the rest of the genre, so the new director will have to find a way to inhabit the same space in order to please all the moviegoers the first film won over.
Prior to its release, the cards were stacked again Venom from being the success it ended up being in theaters. As previously mentioned, it had the lofty goal of making a Spider-Man character movie without the web slinger, as Sony's deal with Marvel has Tom Holland's Peter Parker operating within the Marvel Shared Universe. Venom's first trailer gave the fandom particular pause for concern, as it was completely lacking the titular antihero at all, instead coming off as more of an adventure for Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock. The film got even more flack when Jenny Slate's character mispronounced the word symbiote in the trailer, as audiences grew more concerned.
But Venom ultimately vibrated on its unique frequency, having a closer relation to Fox's Deadpool franchise than the MCU. The visual affects may have left something to be desired, but Venom was delightfully snarky and crude, while also setting up the ground work for a larger franchise. It still remains to be seen whether Spider-Man will ever make an appearance, but some big concepts were introduced that will hopefully take bloom with its mysterious sequel.
Venom is currently available for home purchase. CinemaBlend will keep you updated on the developing sequel as more details become public. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
