In 2018, six years after his outing as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy returned to the comic book realm starring as Eddie Brock, a.k.a. Venom. The Venom movie was so commercially successful that just a few months after its theatrical premiere, Sony Pictures greenlit a sequel, although the wait for Venom: Let There Be Carnage has been longer than expected. There hasn’t even been any official Venom 2 footage released yet, though maybe a video of Hardy having fun with motion capture will sate your appetite in the meantime.
We wouldn’t have the Venom film series without motion capture being used to bring the symbiote-powered protagonist, and others of his ilk, to life. And while acting through motion capture is still hard work, Tom Hardy clearly can find joy in testing it out for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, as shown in the below video that was originally shared on Instagram, but TheVenomSite managed to save before the original was deleted:
Let’s be honest, who here wouldn’t want to move around like Tom Hardy’s doing if their movements were being replicated for a digital Venom? Opportunities like that don’t come around often, so you have to take advantage of them while you can! Ok, so in Hardy’s case, this has become a more common activity now that he’s two Venom movies deep, with likely more to follow. But at least he still gets a kick out of this portion of the Venom filmmaking process.
Tom Hardy’s Venom journey began in May 2017, when it was announced he would be the second actor to bring the character to life on film, with Topher Grace having previously played Eddie Brock/Venom in Spider-Man 3. Unlike Grace, the origin of Hardy’s Venom isn’t tied to Spider-Man, although there’s still the possibility that he could clash with Tom Holland’s Web-Slinger someday. For now though Hardy’s Venom isn’t lacking for opponents. The first Venom movie saw him fighting Carlton Drake, a.k.a. Riot, and then the mid-credits scene introduced serial killer Cletus Kasady, who promised that there’d be “carnage” when he escaped.
Naturally, that groundwork was laid for the Venom sequel, where, just like his comic book counterpart, Woody Harrelson’s Cletus Kasady will bond with the Carnage symbiote, with only Venom standing in the way of his reign of terror. Kasady will also be joined in Venom: Let There Be Carnage by Naomie Harris’ Shriek, although it’s unclear if she’ll retain her sonic powers from the comics or also be bonded with a symbiote in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. Michelle Williams and Reid Scott will reprise their roles of Anne Weying and Dan Lewis, respectively, and Stephen Graham, Sean Delaney and Larry Olubamiwo have been cast in undisclosed roles.
Directed by Andy Serkis and written by Kelly Marcel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens in theaters on September 24. Find out what else comes out later this year by scanning through our upcoming 2021 movies schedule.
