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Tag: kelly-marcel

  • ‘Venom’ Animated Movie in the Works at Sony

    (Left) Director Adam Stein and Director Zach Lipovsky in New Line Cinema’s 'Final Destination Bloodlines,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Eric Milner. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Right) Venom in 1994's 'Spider-Man: The Animated Series'. Photo: Marvel Entertainment Group
    (Left) Director Adam Stein and Director Zach Lipovsky in New Line Cinema’s ‘Final Destination Bloodlines,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Eric Milner. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Right) Venom in 1994’s ‘Spider-Man: The Animated Series’. Photo: Marvel Entertainment Group

    Preview:

    • ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein will make a ‘Venom’ animated movie.
    • Tom Hardy is aboard to produce.
    • The movie is at an early stage.

    Having managed to get a movie trilogy out of slavering, ravenous Spider-Man character Venom, Sony is looking to keep the franchise alive in the animated realm.

    Per The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has hired ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to develop an animated take on the character.

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    The directors have become an in-demand duo since ‘Bloodlines’ helped to shock the horror movie series back to life with $315 million in box office receipts.

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Venom: The Last Dance’

    What’s the story of Venom?

    Venom, created by writer Bill Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, was famously introduced as a villain in 1988’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ No. 300, and quickly became a fan-favorite as well as one of his arch-nemeses. He got his first solo comic in 1993.

    The character then made his big-screen debut in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 3’, played by Topher Grace.

    Sony produced three ‘Venom’ movies starring Tom Hardy as down-on-his-luck journalist Eddie Brock, who bonds with the symbiote. The eponymous first arrived in 2018, followed by sequels ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ in 2021 and 2024’s ‘Venom: The Last Dance.’

    Hardy is aboard the new movie as a producer alongside live-action team Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, alongside Kelly Marcel, who wrote on all three of the movies and directed ‘The Last Dance.’

    What will the new movie be about?

    (L to R) Director Adam Stein and Director Zach Lipovsky in New Line Cinema’s 'Final Destination Bloodlines,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Eric Milner. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Director Adam Stein and Director Zach Lipovsky in New Line Cinema’s ‘Final Destination Bloodlines,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Eric Milner. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    There’s no word on a plot for the animated movie at this early stage –– Sony is in the process of opening a writers’ room to develop ideas, run by Lipovsky and Stein.

    The pair are also at work with Chris Columbus on a new ‘Gremlins’ movie. They are also developing to direct the original thriller ‘Long Lost’, described as ‘What Lies Beneath’ meets ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and set up at Universal with Amblin Entertainment producing.

    When will the new ‘Venom’ movie be on screens?

    Given the development stage, Sony has yet to confirm a release date for the potential movie.

    Venom in Columbia Pictures 'Venom: The Last Dance'. Photo: Sony Pictures.
    Venom in Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

    List of Movies Featuring Venom:

    Buy ‘Venom’ Movies on Amazon

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  • Third ‘Venom Movie Titled ‘Venom: The Last Dance’

    2018's 'Venom.'
    2018’s ‘Venom.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.

    Preview:

    • The third ‘Venom’ Movie’s title is ‘Venom: The Last Dance’
    • Tom Hardy is back to star, with co-writer Kelly Marcel directing.
    • This new film will now be released in October.

    Things are changing for the third movie in the successful (though seemingly despite itself) ‘Venom’ franchise –– and for once in the increasingly beleaguered superhero genre, it’s more in a positive direction. Not only has the film been moved forward in terms of its release, but we now know it’ll be called ‘Venom 3: The Last Dance’.

    ‘Venom’ has proved to be one of the few bright spots of Sony’s Marvel-adjacent Spider-Man universe. While they have never been the biggest hit among critics, the Tom Hardy-starring movies have certainly scored with audiences, as the box office figures have shown.

    So what can we speculate based on that title? ‘The Last Dance’ suggests the end of the story for now, but also the potential for a musical element. Given the bizarre partnership of man and symbiote that are a key point of the movies, we could certainly posit a crazed musical sequence.

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    What’s the story of ‘Venom’ so far?

    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2021's 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’

    Launching in 2018 with the first movie, ‘Venom’ sees Hardy as Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist struggling to keep his career afloat and hang on to his crumbling social life.

    His world is already falling apart before he’s accidentally infected with the alien symbiote, which takes over his body and causes him to become a violent creature that is only too happy to eat people.

    Eddie eventually forges an unlikely partnership with the creature that shares his body, and they end up fighting evil (and occasionally, yes, still eating people) together.

    Though the original ‘Venom’, directed by ‘Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer, scored some awful reviews, it was a big box office hit, earning more than $850 million dollars.

    Naturally, Sony commissioned a sequel, which saw Kelly Marcel, a long-time friend/collaborator of Hardy working together with the actor to write the script (they’d taken over from previous writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg on the first movie, sharing credit that time).

    2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ saw actor-turned-director Andy Serkis taking over the director’s chair, with Eddie and Venom facing off against violent, psychopathic serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who merges with another symbiote and becomes the terrifying monster known as Carnage.

    It was another blend of less-than-enthusiastic reviews but still healthy box office, ending up with a little over $500 million.

    Who is making ‘Venom 3: The Last Dance’?

    Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021's 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
    (L to R) Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’

    Even with the latest title news, there are few plot details available for the new movie. We can expect some of the usual hand (tentacle?) wringing about whether he’s an antihero or a slavering, sarcastic alien beast, and probably some of the comedy for which the franchise has been known so far.

    For the third, Marcel has stepped up to direct, which might seem like a daunting task, but we’ll wait and see how it works out. Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Clark Backo are all among the cast joining Hardy on screen this time.

    Related Article: ‘Venom’ Co-writer/producer Kelly Marcel to Direct ‘Venom 3’

    When will ‘Venom 3: The Last Dance’ be in theaters?

    As mentioned, the new movie has shifted its date forward, from the originally announced November 8th to October 25th this year.

    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2018's 'Venom.'
    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2018’s ‘Venom.’

    Other Movies Similar to ‘Venom 3:’

    Buy ‘Venom’ Movies on Amazon

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  • Apple TV+’s ‘The Changeling’ Directors Interview

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    Currently airing on Apple TV+ is the new horror fantasy series ‘The Changeling,’ which was created by Kelly Marcel (‘Venom’) and based on the novel of the same name by Victor LaValle.

    The series was directed by Melina Matsoukas, Michael Francis Williams, Jonathan Van Tulleken, Dana Gonzales, and Slick Naim, and will premiere its final episode of the first season on October 13th.

    What is the plot of ‘The Changeling’?

    A man (LaKeith Stanfield) goes in search of his wife after she (Clark Backo) does something horrific in the aftermath of the birth of their first child.

    Who is in the cast of ‘The Changeling’?

    LaKeith Stanfield in 'The Changeling,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    LaKeith Stanfield in ‘The Changeling,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with directors Michael Francis Williams and Jonathan Van Tulleken about their work on ‘The Changeling,’ series creator Kelly Marcel’s original pitch, working with LaKeith Stanfield, and shooting the penultimate episode, ‘Stormy Weather.’

    'The Changeling' directors Michael Francis Williams and Jonathan Van Tulleken.
    ‘The Changeling’ directors Michael Francis Williams and Jonathan Van Tulleken.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.

    Moviefone: To begin with, when you both came on board as directors, what was the original pitch that series creator Kelly Marcel gave you about the show?

    Jonathan van Tulleken: I came on it having read the novel, and thinking the novel’s brilliant, and obviously was this wonderful piece of sophisticated genre that dealt with really interesting issues and was set in this world that you really don’t normally see. Kelly really took it and expanded it. She really brought the idea of motherhood into it, and the perspective of a woman into it. Which, by Victor’s own admittance, the book was much more father centric, because that was Victor’s experience. So Kelly really expanded the world, and really necessarily, I think, for the TV side of it. She also just wrote these incredibly bold personal episodes, and brought a lot of her own personal experience into it. The episode Michael did, it’s this incredible bottle episode that is really fantastic and full of magical realism. So she definitely pitched it to me as something bold, unusual, beautiful and haunting, it was all of those things.

    Michael Francis Williams: Like Jonathan just mentioned, I read the whole series, but the episode I got to work on, I would be pitching at Kelly to direct that. It’s such a phenomenal piece of writing and a phenomenal piece of bold TV, as is the whole series. So it was explained as a kind of adult fairytale that swept in magic realism, horror, suspense, and New York, and then you’re looking at the range of caliber of talent attached to it as well. It’s a really rare opportunity to do something elevated, premium and challenging, which, as a black director, we get rare opportunities to work at this level, sometimes in TV. So I was super excited to come on board and do it.

    Related Article: ‘Venom’ Co-writer/producer Kelly Marcel to Direct ‘Venom 3’

    LaKeith Stanfield in 'The Changeling,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    LaKeith Stanfield in ‘The Changeling,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    MF: Jonathan, can you talk about working with actor LaKeith Stanfield? What was he like to collaborate with on set?

    JVT: He was fantastically involved. Certainly he was involved when I came aboard, and he was involved in all the pre-production. It is really rare, I would say, especially in TV, to see someone who is so immersed in the project, who is so absolutely part of it. It’s really hard to bring yourself every day to a role. LaKeith absolutely did that. It was through pre-production, production and post-production, bringing his own experiences, his own thoughts to it, and just every day, a level of commitment that was sort of astounding. I would say it was also supported as well by all the other cast. Clark absolutely did as well, and Adina and Sam, and especially someone like Sam who had not acted before. LaKeith was incredible and took him under his wing, and they really worked together beautifully. Like I said, it is very rare to meet an actor who brings that level of thought and commitment, and also sensitivity. Just a real team player, and he really wanted to get the best out of everyone and the best out of the project.

    Adina Porter in 'The Changeling,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    Adina Porter in ‘The Changeling,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    MF: Finally, without giving anything away, episode 7 – ‘Stormy Weather’ is very different than the previous episodes. Michael, can you talk about the challenges of crafting and directing the penultimate episode?

    MFW: Yeah, it’s a wild ride out of the brain of Kelly, courtesy of Victor. An amazing thing to read as a director and to get to shoot. For me, I wanted to examine Lillian’s life in one episode, and so I wanted to take the audience on a journey into that interiority, and into her emotion. So we’re making visual choices based on, how can I get an audience to feel where she’s at emotionally? Not just cut to a flashback, not just do conventional TV things, but we pulled from theater and music videos and all sorts of tools and tricks to get an audience to feel where she’s at. Kelly was such an amazing collaborator and showrunner to say yes to some crazy things that I suggested, and she supported that, and the studio as well, to just help me realize how we could elevate this. I think our producer at one point scribbled on his script in a table read, “The bottle episode has become a magnum.” I stand on the shoulders of all the other directors, from Jonathan, Melina, Slick, everyone who’s created the tone and the performances of the show that I got to then tinker and play with to take us on an extra special moment towards the end of the season.

    Clark Backo and LaKeith Stanfield in 'The Changeling,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Clark Backo and LaKeith Stanfield in ‘The Changeling,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Movies Featuring LaKeith Stanfield:

    Buy LaKeith Stanfield Movies On Amazon

  • Juno Temple Joins ‘Venom 3’

    Juno Temple in 'Ted Lasso,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    Juno Temple in ‘Ted Lasso,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Would you swap the comfy hugs and aphorisms of ‘Ted Lasso’ for the potential terror and loss of life you risk when you appear in a ‘Venom’ movie? Juno Temple doesn’t really have a choice, since the Apple TV+ series is –– at least as far as anyone will say –– ending with its current third season and Temple has to keep her career expanding.

    The actor, who plays the upbeat Keeley Jones on ‘Lasso’, is, according to Deadline, now making a deal to appear in ‘Venom 3,’ which will see Tom Hardy back as down-on-his-luck, scruffy journalist Eddie Brock and (thanks to voice work and lots of CGI) the alien symbiote that shares his body

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    What’s the story of ‘Venom’ so far?

    Launching in 2018 with the first movie, ‘Venom’ sees Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist struggling to keep his career afloat and hang on to his crumbling social life.

    His world is already falling apart before he’s accidentally infected with the alien symbiote, which takes over his body and causes him to become a violent creature that is only too happy to eat people.

    Eddie eventually forges an unlikely partnership with the creature that shares his body, and they end up fighting evil (and occasionally, yes, still eating people) together.

    Though the original ‘Venom’, directed by ‘Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer, scored some awful reviews, it was a big box office hit, earning more than $850 million dollars.

    So of course, Sony commissioned a sequel, which saw Marcel and Hardy working together to write the script (they’d taken over from previous writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg on the first movie, sharing credit that time).

    2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ saw actor-turned-director Andy Serkis taking over the director’s chair, with Eddie and Venom facing off against violent, psychopathic serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who merges with another symbiote and becomes the terrifying monster known as Carnage.

    It was another blend of less-than-enthusiastic reviews but still healthy box office, ending up with a little over $500 million.

    Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021's 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
    (L to R) Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’

    Related Article: ‘Venom’ Co-writer/producer Kelly Marcel to Direct ‘Venom 3’

    Who is making ‘Venom 3’?

    Details are mostly scarce on the new ‘Venom’ outing, especially in regard to the story. Obviously there will be more chaos from Eddie/Venom, and a big new threat for him to face. Expect some of the usual hand (tentacle?) wringing about whether he’s an antihero or a slavering, sarcastic alien beast, and probably some of the comedy for which the franchise has been known so far.

    Kelly Marcel, a long-time friend/collaborator of Hardy and the screenwriter of movies such as ‘Saving Mr. Banks’, the first ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ (and a Story By credit on Disney’s ‘Cruella’), worked on the script for the first movie, then wrote the script for the second.

    For the third, she’s stepping up to direct, which might seem like a daunting task, but we’ll wait and see how it works out. There’s no release date on the books yet for ‘Venom 3’.

    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2021's 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’

    Other Movies Similar to ‘Venom 3:’

    Buy ‘Venom’ Movies on Amazon

  • Kelly Marcel Directing ‘Venom 3’

    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2021's 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’

    The director’s chair for the ‘Venom’ movies, far from being the usual folding option, must be on some sort of violent swivel. How else to explain the constant change in filmmaker behind the first two, and now third movie in the franchise?

    This latest change does at least represent some stability behind the camera though, as Deadline reports that Kelly Marcel, who has been a writer and producer on both previous films, is now on board to direct the third for Sony’s expanding Marvel-based movie universe.

    Launching in 2018 with the first movie, ‘Venom’ sees Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a down-on-his luck investigative journalist struggling to keep his career afloat and hang on to his crumbling social life.

    His world is already falling apart before he’s accidentally infected with an alien symbiote which takes over his body and causes him to become a violent creature that is only too happy to eat people.

    Eddie eventually forges an unlikely partnership with the creature that shares his body, and they end up fighting evil (and occasionally, yes, still eating people) together.

    Though the original ‘Venom’, directed by ‘Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer, scored some awful reviews, it was a big box office hit, earning more than $850 million dollars.

    So of course, Sony commissioned a sequel, which saw Marcel and Hardy working together to write the script (they’d taken over from previous writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg on the first movie, sharing credit that time).

    Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021's 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
    (L to R) Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’

    2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ saw actor-turned-director Andy Serkis taking over the director’s chair, with Eddie and Venom facing off against violent, psychopathic serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who merges with another symbiote and becomes the terrifying monster known as Carnage.

    It was another blend of less-than-enthusiastic reviews but still healthy box office, ending up with a little over $500 million.

    And the post-credits scene of ‘Let There Be Carnage’ sees Eddie and Venom being drawn in the MCU, where he identifies Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, though the end of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ sees the pair sent back to their own dimension, leaving behind a tiny fragment of the symbiote to cause chaos for the main Marvel heroes (at least, we figure that’s the plan).

    Despite her experience with the ‘Venom’ movies, and her long working partnership with Hardy, with whom she started out in a theatre group, Marcel would seem to be an unlikely choice to direct the next one.

    She hasn’t directed a movie before, and the effects-heavy workload of a superhero film can be daunting. Still, Marcel has plenty of experience on films, including writing the likes of ‘Saving Mr. Banks’, the first ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ and snagging a Story By credit on Disney’s ‘Cruella’.

    More recently, she has been busy as showrunner on Apple TV+ series ‘The Changeling’, which should be on screens this year.

    Hardy teased that the third ‘Venom’ script was in progress via Instagram back in June, and we knew that Sony wanted to push ahead with the franchise. So now Marcel will be carrying even more responsibility.

    Sony has yet to confirm a release date for the new movie, but we can’t see it being ready before 2024.

    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2018's 'Venom.'
    Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom in 2018’s ‘Venom.’
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