Ever since the mid-credit tease of 2018's Venom revealed serial killer Cletus Kasady, fans have been patiently waiting for the arrival of the symbiotic villain Carnage, which was confirmed with the sequel's revealed title, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The upcoming showdown between two of Spider-Man's most popular and powerful characters will assemble a cast of new and returning actors under an exciting new director, further driving up the excitement for Venom's return to the big screen. So, here's everything fans need to know about Venom: Let There Be Carnage before the film hits theaters.
Venom: The Story So Far
Eddie Brock's life as an investigative reporter with his own online show fell apart after he went after Carlton Drake and the Life Foundation, who had recently brought back alien subjects from a crashed space mission. Brock was fired from his job and his fiancee, Anne Weying, left him since his actions cost Anne her job. However, Brock was pulled back into his investigation of the Life Foundation by one of the company's doctors, who wanted to shed light on the fatal testing being done on homeless citizens of San Francisco.
The Life Foundation was attempting to create a bond between humans and thes alien symbiote they brought back to Earth. After Eddie broke into the lab, he was attacked by one of symbiotes, leading to his encounter with Venom. Meanwhile, another symbiote escaped the crash and made its way to San Francisco, eventually bonding with Drake to create Riot. Venom and Eddie were able to find new strength in their bond and their mission to stop Riot. Venom was able to stop Riot and save his career as Eddie Brock while renewing a friendship with Anne, which all led to a highly touted interview with an incarcerated serial killer: Cletus Kasady.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage Release Date & Runtime
Venom: Let There Be Carnage was originally slated for a fall release in 2020. However, Sony Pictures pushed back the film to a new release date of June 25, 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. Sony then delayed the release date an additional three times -- September 17, September 24 and October 15 -- before the studio announced on Sept. 6 it will move up the premiere to October 1, 2021. The decision was reportedly influenced by the b0x-office success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which opened exclusively in theaters over the Labor Day Weekend with a record $75.5 million. Shang-Chi has gone on to gross $256.5 million worldwide. Director Andy Serkis later confirmed on Sept. 15 that the runtime of Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a lean 90 minutes.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage Trailers & Poster
The first official trailer for the upcoming sequel to Venom was released online and revealed the first look at Carnage while also teasing the developing bond between Eddie Brock and the symbiote before the highly-anticipated battle with his serial killer opposite Cletus Kasady. Sony Pictures then released a second trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage that gives Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady and Carnage, which also revealed a bloody new origin for the character and teased more footage of his partner in crime, Naomie Harris' Shriek.
On September 21, 2021 there was a lighthearted ESPN promo for Venom: Let There Be Carnage that depicted San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle as Eddie Brock's roommate. Later, in the days ahead of the premiere of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Sony released a promo featuring Carnage's prison break, and another showing Venom dropping the mic at a party. Those were followed by a 30-second clip from the film depicting the transformation of Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady into Carnage.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage Cast & Crew
After the sequel was initially announced, the hunt for a new director began and actor/director/motion-capture master Andy Serkis was soon brought on board to helm the then-untitled film. Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach were back as producers, alongside Hutch Parker, who brought some experience from Fox's X-Men film franchise.
Tom Hardy will reprise his role as Eddie Brock/Venom, and Michelle Williams has confirmed she will be returning as Anne Weying, which could also mean a return of She-Venom, as she temporarily bonded with the symbiote in the film as well. Reid Scott is set to return as Anne's new boyfriend, Dr. Dan Lewis, and Woody Harrelson will star as Cletus Kasady and his homicidal symbiotic alter ego, Carnage.
Carnage won't be the only new villain fans will get to see, as his co-star from the Maximum Carnage storyline will also appear on the big screen. Naomie Harris has been cast as Shriek, a powerful inmate at Ravencroft Institute with devastating sonic powers and dark empathic abilities. She will be joined by The Irishman's Stephen Graham in an undisclosed role.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage News
Prior to the shutdown, filming had been underway and a number of behind-the-scenes shots revealed director Andy Serkis at a creepy orphanage, which will likely serve as the setting for Cletus Kasady's dark origins. Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson were also caught sharing a laugh while filming, while Harrelson was also seen shooting as Cletus Kasady in a confrontation with the police that gave fans a better look at his non-symbiote appearance in the film.
Following the change of the film's release date and the announcement of the confirmed title, the official logo for the film was revealed by the film's Twitter account, which showed the familiar logo as the new title appeared below in red.
While a crossover with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Spider-Man has been rumored since Venom was first announced, Tom Hardy threw a bit of fuel into the fire when he posted and then deleted a photo of Venom chomping down on the MCU version of Spider-Man. This led to quite a bit of fan speculation, but still no official word on Tom Holland's potential involvement in any of Sony Pictures' films featuring non-MCU characters.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Directed by Andy Serkis, Venom: Let There Be Carnage stars Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott and Stephen Graham. The film arrives in theaters on Sept. 24.