Tom Hardy Is Contracted For Three Venom Movies (For Now)

[Ulquiorra]

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Venom star Tom Hardy, who plays Eddie Brock and the titular symbiote, is under contract for three movies as the character. Superhero franchises have become the new normal in Hollywood, and part of securing the longevity of a series about a particular hero is locking in the actor for a long-term contract. A three-movie contract is relatively standard, though many stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe signed on to that franchise for upwards of five to seven films or more. Now, with Sony Pictures attempting to launch a superhero universe based on the Marvel Comics characters to which they own the movie rights, it makes sense for the studio to sign their actors to contracts for multiple movies.

Sony will launch their latest Marvel venture later this year with the release of Ruben Fleischer's Venom, which stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. However, the movie also features actors bringing fellow comic book characters to life, like Michelle Williams as Anne Weying aka. She-Venom and, reportedly, Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady aka. Carnage. After Venom, Sony has a number of other Marvel projects in the works, including Black Cat and Silver Sable movies, Morbius the Living Vampire, and others. Since the studio is launching their own series of superhero movies, it seems they've planned for the longevity of this new franchise.

In an interview with Total Film Magazine, Hardy was asked about future movies focused on Venom following the anti-hero's origin story in this year's film. Although Hardy reveals he's contracted for three movies, he also insists that any follow-ups to Venom will depend on how well the first movie does in terms of response. Hardy said:
 

 

I'm open to whatever you want to do with it. We've signed up for three of them. So it's very much an open case. We'll see what people's responses are to it. I think it's an awesome character. I love playing both of them. It's an amuse-bouche, and for Sony, it's the Venom-verse launched in isolation, as it were. We all prepped for it to be a standalone universe. So whatever Sony want to attach to it at a later date, it's a fulcrum piece. But let's see what happens when it lands.

 

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As previously stated, a three-movie contract is fairly regular not only for superhero movies, but any film that's looking to kick off a series. Whether the studio will choose to complete the series and have the actor fulfill their contract, however, is another matter. While it seems every actor in the MCU will eventually fulfill their contracts - and Robert Downey Jr. even re-negotiated his for additional appearances - that isn't always the case. The cast of 20th Century Fox's 2005 Fantastic Four movie was contracted for three movies, but the studio ended up deciding to conclude the series after two. So just because Hardy is contracted for three Venom movies doesn't necessarily mean Sony will actually make three (or more) Venom movies.

Still, the buzz surrounding the film is god so far, with fans reacting positively to the trailers for Venom and additional looks at Hardy as Eddie Brock. Plus, Venom director Fleischer already has plans for a sequel, and according to Harrelson, they'll include more of his character. According to reports, Harrelson appears as Cletus Kasady at the end of Venom, setting up Carnage as the main villain for a potential sequel. Whether that turns out to be the case remains to be seen. But although Venom is set to tell the titular anti-hero's origin story, there seems to be plenty in the film that can be mined for future movies.

It's unclear yet if Venom will receive a sequel, but with Hardy contracted for additional movies, it seems Sony is planning for many more adventures of the fan-favorite Marvel anti-hero. Perhaps one day he'll even crossover with the MCU for a fight against Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

Venom (2018) release date: Oct 05, 2018