Sony has met with Black Panther star Andy Serkis about Venom 2. The studio is interested in tapping Serkis as director for the upcoming project.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Serkis met with Sony execs in Los Angeles, but he isn't the only person in the running for the position. He is one of several filmmakers being considered for the project, as director Ruben Fleischer will not return for the sequel.
Serkis has an extensive career in motion capture, which would make him a valuable asset for Venom 2. He helped perfect the technology starting with his role as Gollum in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also used motion capture to perform fan-favorite roles like Caesar in the recent Planet of the Apes movies and Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. With this experience, he would be able to lend his expertise to the digital creation of Venom in the film.
Recently, Serkis has tried his hand at directing as well. Starting in 2017, he made his directorial debut with Breathe. Since then, he has directed The Ruins of Empires and Netflix's Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle .
Starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, Venom 2 does not yet have a release date.