By Aidan Kelley
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Those hungry for more of San Francisco's resident anti-hero will be delighted to know that Venom (Tom Hardy) will be returning once again for Venom: The Last Dance, and the third film in Sony's flagship Spider-Man villain universe is making some pretty significant changes to the hit series. However, you will have to wait a bit.
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Eddie Brock is easily one of Marvel Comics' most popular characters, seamlessly going from a fearsome foe of the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man to a Lethal Protector who inspires fear into the hearts of even the most menacing criminals. With an iconic look, engaging characterization, and a surprisingly poignant sense of humor, it's no wonder why comic fans wanted to see Venom on the big screen for so long. Many likely remember that Venom's theatrical debut came in the final film of director Sam Raimi's trilogy, Spider-Man 3, but the iconic foe became the subject of a bit of controversy before, during, and following the film's production. Though Spider-Man 3's interpretation of the character has its fans, many fans still wanted to see a proper Venom adaptation, and we kind of got that in 2018's Venom.
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We say "kind of" because a key part of Venom's character and origin is he's the complete antithesis of Spider-Man, yet the new film opted to place Venom in a universe where he and Peter Parker never met. This led to apprehension at first, but even dedicated Venom fans agree that the film is a good amount of fun, carried by a remarkably charismatic Tom Hardy in the title role. The momentum continued in the sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), which introduced the immensely popular Carnage (Woody Harrelson) to Sony's villainverse.
After being brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Let There Be Carnage's end credits scene before almost immediately being sent back to his universe in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel fans have been anxiously waiting to see what's next for Venom. They won't have to wait much longer, as Venom: The Last Dance is in active development with a new story, a new director, and a new writer. To learn more about the upcoming threequel's cast, director, production status, and more, here is everything we know so far about Venom: The Last Dance.
Editor's Note: This article was last updated on October 23, 2024.
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9 Does 'Venom: the Last Dance' Have a Release Date?
Sony has confirmed that Venom: The Last Dance will premiere exclusively in theaters on October 25, 2024. The threequel comes at the cusp of another supervillain-themed sequel in the form of Joker: Folie à Deux, as well as the eagerly awaited horror sequels, Smile 2 and Terrifier 3.
The movie was previously scheduled to release on July 12, 2024, and had its release changed again to November 8, 2024, but now the October release date appears to be locked in. Both of the previous films performed remarkably well at the box office, so a theatrical run was pretty much a given. The first film grossed a whopping $850 million at the international box office, placing it in the top 25 of the highest-grossing comic book movies ever made. Venom: Let There Be Carnage didn't slouch during its theatrical run either, raking in a more than healthy $500 million on a budget of $100 million. Venom: The Last Dance was originally expected to arrive sometime in October 2024, with the fact that Sony has moved it up on the schedule suggesting that they are confident about delivering the film despite the impact of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes on the production (more on that below).
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8 Where Will 'Venom: The Last Dance' Stream?
A streaming release for Venom: The Last Dance is also very possible once the theatrical run concludes. Historically, Sony has partnered with Netflix to release many of their high-profile releases on streaming, as was the case with their other Spider-Man spin-off, Morbius. The same can also be said with Madame Web, which became a surprise hit for Netflix and Sony despite poor reviews and negative box office returns. However, a historic partnership between Sony and Disney+ has now set a new precedent by bringing some of their biggest Spider-Man-related films to the streaming service. As of right now, Spidey fans can watch Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Spider-Man: Homecoming on Disney+. Venom is now available to stream on Disney+ as of October 23, so it's possible that Venom: The Last Dance could be making its streaming home on Disney+ once its theatrical run ends.
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7 Is There a Trailer for 'Venom: The Last Dance'?
The first trailer for Venom: The Last Dance was released by Sony on June 3, 2024, finally revealing Venom and Eddie's third and reportedly final adventure. Following the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eddie and Venom have become fugitives, and they're now being relentlessly pursued by a mysterious government unit that is dedicated to keeping the existence of aliens a secret. That goal is going to get a lot harder, as a symbiote invasion from Venom's home planet is literally on the horizon, and it threatens to plunge all of humanity into complete and utter chaos. With such dramatic world-ending stakes, it's a good thing that Venom can still put his powers to use by taking over the body of a horse (to very bizarre/cool effect).
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The second and final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance was released by Sony Pictures on September 12, 2024. The new trailer gives us a more in-depth look at the plot as well as reveals that the now beloved Venom-Horse won't be the only Symbiotic animal appearing in the movie, as we also see a Venom-Fish in the trailer.
6 Who's Stars in 'Venom: The Last Dance'?
As always, Venom and Eddie Brock will be played by Tom Hardy. The Oscar-nominated actor clearly has a deep connection to and love for the title character. This time, he will have an even more significant influence on the creative direction of Venom.
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One of the most interesting additions to the Venom: The Last Dance cast is Chiwetel Ejiofor, who has previously appeared as the Doctor Strange villain Karl Mordo in the MCU. The trailers reveal that the Academy Award-nominated actor will be playing Rex Strickland, a military soldier who is hunting down Eddie and Venom to obtain the Symbiote for his own purposes.
Ted Lasso star Juno Temple will join Hardy as a scientist who is working alongside Ejiofor's character in hunting down Eddie. Temple further expanded on her excitement about working on Venom: The Last Dance and working with Tom Hardy in the following statement:
"His relationship to how he feels about Venom and Eddie together…its something that feels really close to his heart. It matters to him. I don’t know if anyone else could play Venom. That’s a tough pair of shoes to follow."
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No word yet on if other characters like Eddie Brock's ex-girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) will make an appearance, but the recently released trailer does confirm that the mysterious detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) will appear in the sequel. Here's a blast from comics past: in the comics, Pat Mulligan is the first host of the Toxin symbiote, the child of Carnage and Venom's grandchild who tries to be a hero. Unfortunately, Pat was beaten to death by the Ghost Rider villain Blackheart, who took the symbiote and, through a series of circumstances, ended up bonding with Eddie during a time when he was separated from Venom.
Another veteran from the franchise returning is Peggy Lu as Mrs. Chen, who appeared in the first two Venom movies and had a very memorable cameo in last year's Oscar-nominated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Another surprising new addition to the cast of Venom: The Last Dance is Rhys Ifans, who makes an appearance in both trailers. The House of the Dragon star is very familiar with the Spider-Man IP, given that he played The Lizard in both The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Ifans will be playing Martin, a hippie who Eddie and Venom cross paths with on their journey.
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Ifans and Hardy aren't the only actors from No Way Home returning, as Cristo Fernández will be reprising his role as the Bartender. Interestingly, his small character seemed to be from Earth-616, rather than Sony's universe, but the first trailer shows Ejiofor's character interacting with him.
Ted star Alanna Ubach and Letterkenny's Clark Backo, with Backo playing Christmas, a fellow scientist, and Ubach playing Nova Moon, a hippie and the wife of Martin.
The most recent trailer also reveals that the villain Knull, the God of Symbiotes, will play an integral role in the movie's plot. It was later reported that Andy Serkis, who directed the previous film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, would be playing Knull.
5 What Is 'Venom: The Last Dance' About?
The official plot synopsis for Venom: The Last Dance reads as follows:
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In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
4 Who's Making 'Venom: The Last Dance'?
Kelly Marcel, who wrote both Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, will be directing Venom: The Last Dance this time, following Venom director Ruben Fleischer and Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis. Marcel will also be writing the screenplay for the film, which series star Tom Hardy will also co-write. Both Hardy and Marcel will be producing the project along with Avi Arad, Hutch Parker, Amy Pascal, and Matt Tolmach.
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3 When and Where Did 'Venom: The Last Dance' Film?
After months on hold, Venom: The Last Dance resumed production in November 2023 and Tom Hardy celebrated by revealing a new set photo on his Instagram. That's fitting, considering the earliest bit of information we got about Venom: The Last Dance's production was another Instagram post from Tom Hardy where he revealed that the script for Venom: The Last Dance was being written (or possibly even completed). Venom: The Last Dance initially kicked off production in June 2023. However, things eventually ground to a halt as a result of the historic SAG-AFTRA strike that began on July 13, 2023. Now that the project is moving forward again, it shouldn't be long before we start to see some footage from the film.
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2 How Long Is 'Venom: The Last Dance'?
The Venom movies are typically shorter than most superhero movies. The first movie had a runtime of 111 minutes, while Let There Be Carnage was the shortest film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe at 97 minutes. The Last Dance falls right down the middle, with a runtime of 109 minutes.
1 What Happened in the First Two Venom Movies?
The first film sees several mysterious extra-terrestrial organisms crash-land to Earth. Known as Symbiotes, the organisms come into the possession of billionaire Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), who believes the aliens could lead to the next stage of human evolution. Drake's infamous business practices catch the attention of investigative reporter Eddie Brock, but when the cocky journalist gets his nose into Drake's business, Eddie loses both his job and his girlfriend.
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Months later, Eddie is contacted by Dr. Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate), who tells Eddie about the Symbiotes in Drake's facility. That's how Eddie bonds with the Symbiote, Venom. While the good-hearted Eddie doesn't like how the alien is obsessed with eating people, the two are able to stop Drake and the evil Symbiote Riot's dastardly plans for world domination.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage sees Eddie confronting a demon from his past with Cletus Kasady - a ruthless serial killer whose been incarcerated because of Eddie. When Cletus takes a bite out of Eddie's hand, Eddie and Venom's Symbiote DNA leads to Kasady becoming a Symbiote himself, now becoming a near-unstoppable monster known as Carnage. With the help of his long-lost mutant girlfriend, Frances (Naomie Harris), Cletus tries to exact vengeance on Eddie, but ultimately gets his head ripped off by Venom. Eddie's anti-hero identity becomes known by Detective Mulligan (who is teased to be the symbiote Toxin), so the film ends with Eddie and Venom fleeing the country and going into hiding.
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That's when Eddie and Venom are transported to the MCU thanks to Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) botched spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home (which doesn't make a ton of sense since the spell was only supposed to summon people from other dimensions who knew Peter Parker is Spider-Man but still). Eddie and Venom think that this Spider-Man (Tom Holland) guy has something to do with their inter-dimensional travel, but before they can meet with the webhead, they get sent back to their own dimension. At least, most of them are, as a tiny bit of the Venom symbiote stayed behind, likely to cause all sorts of trouble for Peter Parker and the MCU.
Are the Previous Venom Films Available to Watch on Streaming?
As of May 12, Disney+ subscribers can watch Venom, but the same cannot be said for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Still, here is how you can stream both projects (as well as No Way Home).
'Venom' (2018)
Venom
A failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many symbiotes who have invaded Earth. But the being takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.
- Release Date
- September 28, 2018
- Director
- Ruben Fleischer
- Cast
- Tom Hardy , Michelle Williams , Woody Harrelson , Jenny Slate , Riz Ahmed , Sam Medina
- Main Genre
- Action
- Writers
- Scott Rosenberg , Jeff Pinkner , Kelly Marcel , Will Beall , Todd McFarlane , David Michelinie
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The first Venom film starts off with a completely clean slate, having zero connection to the character's previous incarnation from Spider-Man 3. Eddie Brock is a cocky, determined journalist who is obsessed with exposing the corrupt and shady business practices of the Life Foundation, as well as the company's equally sinister leader, Carlton Drake. After losing his job for getting to controversial with his line of investigating the foundation, Eddie stumbles upon and bonds with an alien symbiote known as Venom. Venom's violent ways do not meld well with the pacifist lifestyle of Eddie, but they end up becoming lifelong companions in order to stop Drake's dastardly schemes.
'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' (2021)
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
- Release Date
- October 1, 2021
- Director
- Andy Serkis
- Cast
- Tom Hardy , Woody Harrelson , Michelle Williams , Naomie Harris , Reid Scott , Stephen Graham , Peggy Lu , Sian Webber , Michelle Greenidge , Rob Bowen , Laurence Spellman , Little Simz , Jack Bandeira , Olumide Olorunfemi , Scroobius Pip , Amrou Al-Kadhi , Beau Sargent , Brian Copeland , Stewart Alexander , Sean Delaney , Ed Kear , Emma Lau , Louis j Rhone , Christopher Godwin , Tiffanie Thomas , Rocky Capella , Sam Robinson , Greg Lockett , Sonny Ashbourne Serkis , Otis Winston , Vaughn Johseph , Kristen Simoes , Miguel Angel Arreguin , Shaliz Afshar , Reece Shearsmith , Simon Connolly , Rachel Handshaw , Amanda Foster
- Main Genre
- Adventure
- Writers
- Tom Hardy , Kelly Marcel , Mark Bagley , David Michelinie , Tom DeFalco , Todd McFarlane
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Venom's sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, introduces one of the character's most notorious villains - Carnage. Otherwise known as Cletus Kasady, Carnage is a version of Venom that has all of the Lethal Protector's worst vices and tendencies, with him having zero qualms about killing innocents. In order to combat this threat, Eddie and Venom will need to put their petty differences aside to take Kasady down for good.
'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home
With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
- Release Date
- December 17, 2021
- Director
- Jon Watts
- Cast
- Tom Holland , Zendaya , Benedict Cumberbatch , Jacob Batalon , Jon Favreau , Jamie Foxx , Willem Dafoe , Alfred Molina , Benedict Wong , Marisa Tomei , Andrew Garfield , Tobey Maguire
- Runtime
- 148 minutes
- Main Genre
- Superhero
The main narrative of Spider-Man: No Way Home largely revolves around the MCU's Peter Parker trying to undo a spell that he and Doctor Strange concocted that brought different heroes and villains from different universes to his dimension. Among those people were Eddie and Venom, who were sitting confused in a bar before they were taken back to their own universe. However, a small sliver of Venom is left behind, implying Peter may get his iconic symbiote suit in a later movie.
510
Venom: The Last Dance
Not Yet Rated
Adventure
Sci-Fi
Action
Superhero
Eddie Brock, balancing life with the alien symbiote Venom, faces a complex struggle with a powerful new adversary threatening their existence and the world. As a turbulent alliance forms between man and symbiote, the duo embarks on a thrilling journey of survival, challenging their limits and ethical boundaries.
- Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Director
- Kelly Marcel
- Cast
- Tom Hardy , Peggy Lu , Stephen Graham , Cristo Fernández , Juno Temple , Alanna Ubach , Rhys Ifans , Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Main Genre
- Adventure
- Writers
- Kelly Marcel , Tom Hardy
- Studio(s)
- Columbia Pictures , Marvel Entertainment , Pascal Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Sony
- prequel(s)
- Venom , Venom: Let There Be Carnage
- Franchise(s)
- Spider-Man , Venom
- Character(s)
- Eddie Brock / Venom , Mrs. Chen , Patrick Mulligan , Bartender
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- Movie
- Venom: The Last Dance
- Tom Hardy
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