Remember when Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed all signed on to star in Venom and everyone was like “What the heck? This movie sounds like a train wreck. Why are they doing this?” But we gave them all the benefit of the doubt because they’re such talented folks. Then Venom came out and everyone was like “What the heck? This movie was a train wreck. Why did they do this?”
Despite our opinions, Venom 2 is happening, with Hardy and Williams attached to return (this time bringing Woody Harrelson along too). This sequel might also be a train wreck but it’ll likely be a train wreck that makes a ton of money again. But who will direct the follow-up? Well, we have a few possibilities.
Apparently Lord of the Rings champion Andy Serkis is one of Sony’s possible choices to direct the sequel. Best known for his mo-cap work in LOTR and the recent Apes trilogy, Serkis is also a talented director though none of his films have been big hits. Most notably, he directed Mowgli, better known as the Jungle Book movie that no one saw. Obviously he has a ton of experience with CGI and motion capture tech so taking on Venom 2 would be a no-brainer. It would be like taking a painting class from Picasso.
But Sony is also eyeing other candidates, including Bumblebee director Travis Knight, another filmmaker with plenty of CGI experience (although I really wish he would get back into animation). So while Serkis is in the running and even had a meeting with Sony, he’s not their selection — yet.
Personally I’m more interested in who is writing the sequel because the script is where all of Venom’s problem lay. Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks, Fifty Shades of Grey) is returning to write the script but all by her lonesome this time. Was the first Venom script a mess because there were too many cooks in the kitchen? I guess we will see when Venom 2 slithers into theaters.