Sony and Columbia Pictures revealed the name of the third part of their successful Marvel antihero story 'Venom' as 'Venom: The Last Dance' and the release date has been shifted two weeks earlier to Oct. 25.
Tom Hardy is coming back as Eddie Brock and Venom, along with Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor in undisclosed roles. Kelly Marcel is returning as the writer and will also direct the film for the first time. Hardy, Marcel, Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal and Hutch Parker are the producers.
'Venom: The Last Dance' will have support from Imax and premium formats as it joins other Halloween week releases like Universal/Blumhouse’s remake of 'The Wolf Man' featuring Christopher Abbott and the third part of the gory indie slasher series 'Terrifier.'
'Venom' follows Eddie Brock, a struggling journalist in San Francisco, whose life changes when he accidentally merges with an alien creature named Venom. This symbiote can take over his host’s body and become a huge creature that devours its victims. The two develop a bond as Eddie agrees to let Venom feed on humans as long as its targets are dangerous criminals, while Venom promises to protect Earth from even more aggressive symbiotes.
While receiving mixed reviews from critics, 'Venom' has garnered a fanbase that appreciates the dark, sometimes exaggerated humor in Hardy's portrayal of both Eddie and Venom, with some fans even considering their relationship as potentially romantic. Sony has embraced this interpretation with lighthearted ads promoting the films as a romantic comedy.
Hardy last appeared as Eddie in a brief appearance during the credits of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home,' where he briefly entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe before returning to his original timeline.
Although the second 'Venom' film, 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage,' did not have as high a box office result as the first one due to limited support from China, it still had a successful theatrical run during the pandemic recovery period, opening with $90 million in North America and grossing $506 million worldwide.
