Like Morbius and Ghostbusters: Afterlife before it, the Venom sequel has been assigned a new release date — but the news isn’t all bad. Sony Pictures has revealed the movie’s full, official title.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage will now hit theaters June 25, 2021.
Originally scheduled to premiere in October, Venom: Let There Be Carnage will now debut eight months later due to the widespread effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the necessary precautions put in place to prevent its spread, according to Variety. The Venom sequel had been filming when social-distancing requirements were put in place around the U.S., and it’s uncertain exactly how far along the project was when it went on hiatus.
Directed by Andy Serkis, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the sequel to 2018’s Venom, which introduced Tom Hardy as journalist Eddie Brock, the reluctant host of a terrifying alien entity that gives him powerful abilities while feeding off his darkest impulses. The first film was a surprise hit at the box office, earning $856 million worldwide despite poor reviews from critics.
The sequel brings back Hardy in the lead role along with Michelle Williams, who portrayed Eddie’s ex-fiancee, Anne Weying. The film’s new title alludes to the return of Woody Harrelson as serial killer Cletus Kasady, who becomes the host of another symbiote, transforming him into the powerful, psychopathic creature known as Carnage.
Naomie Harris will join the cast of Venom: Let There Be Carnage as Shriek, Kasady’s love interest.
The decision to move the Venom sequel is the latest in several calendar-shuffling moves made by Sony Pictures over the last month, making it one of many movies delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The studio already pushed fellow comic book movie Morbius to March 2021, Ghostbusters: Afterlife to March 2021, and the Uncharted movie (an adaptation of the game franchise of the same name) to October 2021.
Although all of the aforementioned films have new release dates, it remains to be seen whether they’ll actually be ready to premiere at that point. With productions on hiatus and most theaters currently closed, the probability of a resurgence of the coronavirus has become likely as various U.S. states and international theaters attempt to relax social-distancing restrictions. So nothing is certain for Hollywood — or any industry for that matter — over the next year.
