Woody Harrelson has been confirmed to appear in Venom 2, as the actor's return was mentioned by the film's cinematographer, Robert Richardson.
"I think it’s unexplored yet, and it’s going to explode," Richardson told Collider. "This film, I think, will help it explode, because you have a remarkable central character with Venom, but now you’ve got Woody Harrelson, who’s going to obviously make his own little entrance here, and we’ll see what else comes in with the Sony Marvel collaboration. I look forward to it. It’s a massive change for me, but I’m excited."
Harrelson originally had a cameo as Cletus Kasaday, the comic book host of the Carnage symbiote, in the mid-credits scene of 2018's Venom when Eddie Brock visited serial killer in prison for an interview. At the end of their conversation, Kasaday promised there would be "carnage" when he got out of his cell. Judging by Richardson's comment, Harrelson will indeed have a larger role in the sequel than just a mere cameo. Meanwhile, Tom Hardy will still hold the lead role as Eddie Brock/Venom.
Created by writer David Michelinie and artist Erik Larsen, Cletus Kasady is the most notorious host of the Carnage symbiote. The character first appeared in 1991's The Amazing Spider-Man #344 and has since been an adversary to both Spider-Man and Venom.
Directed by Andy Serkis and starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, Venom 2 does not yet have a release date.