Tom Hardy Will Play Sony's VENOM; Ruben Fleischer to Direct

After several years in development, Sony Pictures is finally moving forward with a film starring Spider-Man villain Venom. The studio recently set an October 5th, 2018 date for the movie, which is reportedly targeting an R rating and designed to kick of Sony’s own Marvel Universe. (So, don’t expect it to connect to Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man.) Now, the film has landed a star and director.

Sony has announced that Tom Hardy will play Eddie Brock in Venom. Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) will direct the movie. The studio tweeted the following image, confirming that production starts this fall and that the film is part of “Sony’s Marvel Universe.”

Tom Hardy is Eddie Brock in #Venom, the upcoming film from Sony’s Marvel Universe releasing October 5, 2018 – production starts this fall. pic.twitter.com/OZQqDEvoum

— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) May 19, 2017

Venom marks Hardy’s second major comic book role. He played Batman villain Bane in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, while he nearly played Rick Flagg in last year’s Suicide Squad. Additionally, he became attached to the Vertigo adaptation 100 Bullets, and his name has been considered for roles such as Doctor Strange and X-Men‘s Apocalypse.

Venom was written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal are producing.

Stay tuned for more news as we have it.