This week, Sony released the first teaser trailer (and the final release date) of the highly-anticipated sequel to 2018’s Venom.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage, directed by Andy Serkis, will introduce fans to Woody Harrelson’s Carnage, who was only seen briefly in the first film.
In the preview, investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) seems to have come to terms with living with his alter-ego Venom. This not-so-easy domestic partnership is destined to end when serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who Brock already met in the first film, survives a lethal injection. The incident seems to awaken the symbiote inside of him, turning Kasady into Carnage and provoking a devastating confrontation between him and Brock’s Venom. The cast also stars Michelle Williams as Anne Weying, Naomie Harris as Shriek and Reid Scott as Dan Lewis.
The trailer also shattered every hope of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man cameo. Although Andy Serkis has been relatively open in stating that Venom is not part of the MCU, fans couldn’t help but hope that Spider-Man would turn up in the sequel. Instead, the trailer shows Kasady crushing a spider scampering on his desk while saying: “waiting in darkness for the rescuer who never comes.”
Shooting began back in November 2019 in the UK, before moving to San Francisco—where the film is set—in February 2020. Post-production began directly after they wrapped filming, but it had to be shut down due to COVID-19. Eventually, the editorial team worked from the United States as Andy Serkis worked remotely from the United Kingdom to finish editing the film in time.
Despite a poor critical reception, the first Venom film was an enormous success at the box office, raking over $855 million globally. In the present climate, the question is whether the second installment will manage to amass a similar or higher box office as moviegoers are finally able to return to theatres. Nevertheless, Hardy confirmed he signed on to star in a third Venom film back in 2018, so it is likely fans will be able to see him and his alter-ego come back on the big screen in the future.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is set to release in the US in September 2021. A UK release date has not been announced yet, but it is expected to come out around the same time later this year.
Words by Federica Battiato
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.