It’s now been an entire year since the Coronavirus pandemic first wiped out the theatrical industry, but there are definite signs of improvement, although they haven’t been as rapid as everyone was hoping. Screens in Los Angeles and New York have finally started reopening, with those two markets key to the revival of both the release schedule and the box office.
The domino effect is far from over, with Fast & Furious 9 recently being pushed back once again, but so far, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has stuck to its guns and remained on track for a June 25th debut. There was speculation that Tom Hardy’s return as Eddie Brock would end up facing another delay after Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters stablemate Morbius fled to January 2022, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Hollywood’s major studios are no doubt waiting to see how the next couple of months play out before committing to any concrete plans, and in a new interview, Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis offered an update on the comic book sequel’s release, admitting that it all depends on how quickly business begins returning to normal, while also saying that he hopes fans aren’t disappointed with the film.
“I’m super excited about it. Again, it’s not something I can particularly talk about right now because we’re saving it for when everybody can go and enjoy it in the cinema. I don’t want to blow it or talk about it too much before then, but I’ve had a ball working on that film. It’s been great. I hope you won’t feel disappointed. It was a real pleasure working on it.”
Shooting on Venom: Let There Be Carnage wrapped over a year ago, and in the interim, Serkis boarded The Batman as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred, so he’s at least been keeping himself busy. Still, there are a little over three months left to go until the scheduled release date for the sequel, and the next several weeks could be key to determining both the short and long-term futures of the theatrical experience throughout the rest of 2021.
It remains to be seen what’ll ultimately happen, but given that we haven’t had a single shred of footage or even an official image yet, it’s looking very likely that the SPUMC’s second installment won’t be hitting the big screen in June.