Sony Pictures' Venom: Let There Be Carnage will now release two weeks earlier than expected.
According to the studio, the movie will now arrive in theaters on Oct. 1 rather than Oct. 15, with tickets poised to go on sale on Wednesday, Sept. 8. This follows Sony pushing Let There Be Carnage from Sept. 24 to Oct. 15 in August due to the surging COVID-19 delta variant. Shortly after Venom 2's most recent delay, it was also reported that the film could be pushed out even further, taking the place of Morbius. However, that report was swiftly debunked.
Released in 2018, Venom starred Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and went on to gross $856.1 million worldwide. The movie also featured Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady in the post-credits scene, setting the stage for a sequel that would be officially confirmed by Sony shortly after Venom's release.
Notably, Let There Be Carnage will be without Venom director Ruben Fleischer, who was unable to commit to the sequel due to his work on Zombieland: Double Tap. In August 2019, Andy Serkis was announced as his replacement.
Let There Be Carnage is the first in what's expected to be two sequels, as Hardy signed on for three Venom projects. He recently discussed a possible third outing as Eddie Brock, saying, "I’m thinking about the third movie as well, because I think you need to write that at the same time." However, he also noted that "A third won’t be greenlit until the second is successful, but the studio were really, really pleased with number two."
In addition to Hardy and Harrelson, Let There Be Carnage will welcome back Michelle Williams as Anne Weying and Reid Scott as Dr. Dan Lewis while also introducing newcomers Stephen Graham (Det. Patrick Mulligan, who eventually becomes Toxin in the comics) and Naomie Harris (Shriek). A recently surfaced cast list even suggested J.K. Simmons' J. Jonah Jameson would appear in the film, though Sony has yet to confirm or deny his involvement.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives in theaters Oct. 1.
Source: Sony Pictures