Venom Director Explains How The Film Works Without Spider-Man

Sony’s Spider-Verse is a franchise bursting at the seams with potential.

Indeed, we haven’t even laid eyes on patient zero (read: Venom) and already, the Powers That Be have announced plans for Spidey spinoffs based on Silver & Black, Silk, Nightwatch and Morbius, the Living Vampire.

That’s all well and good, but it does raise one troubling question: how can these films function without Peter Parker on the casting docket? That very question was presented to Ruben Fleischer, director of Venom, at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, and it seems the answer lies in Tom Hardy’s scenery-chewing performance.

There is more than enough Venom to go around. Venom is a really huge character, and Hardy is an amazing actor, so there is plenty to mine just from Tom’s performance, the character and the world he inhabits.

That’s not to say Spider-Man won’t make an appearance in Venom, or perhaps a future sequel, though. After all, Tom Hardy is all for a big-screen brawl involving Eddie Brock and Peter Parker’s respective alter-egos, while Ruben Fleischer recently admitted that said crossover isn’t necessarily out of the question.

Case in point:

“Who’s to say whether it’s with or without Spider-Man?” said the director.

So at least for now, it looks certain that Marvel Studios and Sony will continue to dance around any questions or queries relating to Spidey’s alleged involvement in Venom – or lack thereof. The Web-Head isn’t expected to reappear on the silver screen until the launch of Avengers 4 next year, and anyone who’s seen Infinity War will know that the sudden appearance of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker may throw up one or two continuity issues.

Whatever the case, Venom is locked in for a release on October 5th, and there’ve been rumblings that Sony’s SDCC trailer will be online as soon as next week. Stay tuned for more.