Eddie Brock is reporting for duty.
As promised, IGN has today unleashed the first official image (seen in the gallery below, along with some recent set pics) of Sony and Ruben Fleisher’s Venom, the Spider-Man offshoot that places the focus squarely on Tom Hardy’s infamous anti-hero.
Said to be inspired by Planet of the Symbiotes and Lethal Protector (more on that later), there’s also a video pulled from the film’s showcase at the recent Brazil Comic Con Experience, where the Powers That Be treated those in attendance to an exclusive look at Venom‘s production, along with a panel featuring Ruben Fleisher and Hardy – director and lead star, respectively.
There’s still some work to be done, of course; Venom is expected to lens on location in San Francisco later this month, before Sony’s spinoff relocates to post-production. But when asked about the film’s story, Fleisher reaffirmed his desire to adapt those two aforementioned comics:
We want to be as true as possible to the comic with our film. But our story is primarily based on the Lethal Protector and the Planet of the Symbiotes book.
For Hardy, this is a chance to sink his teeth into one of the most complex and nuanced characters in Marvel history, and it seems that’s something the Oscar-nominated actor isn’t taking lightly.
Via IGN:
I just wanted to say that I give you my word of honor that I’m going to do everything that I can to deliver the best Venom that I possibly can muster.
Directed by Zombieland‘s Ruben Fleisher with a script from Kelly Marcel (Fifty Shades of Grey), Venom is booked in for release on October 5th. Other Sony-funded Marvel projects in the works include a live-action adaptation of Morbius, the Living Vampire, indicating that, with the exception of Peter Parker, no Spider-Man character is off limits when it comes to the studio’s fledgling shared universe.
