Sony's first Venom movie in 2018 received mixed reviews, but ultimately gained enough of a following to warrant the upcoming aptly-titled sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage. While some feel Venom 2 could repeat its predecessor's mistakes, there's no denying that it's got some interesting potential in store for audiences, particularly when it comes to its villains.
Venom 2 director Andy Serkis had some things to say when asked about the film, and luckily for everyone, the questions weren't all about whether Venom would keep calling himself a loser (as valid a query as that is). The film's main draw appears to be its new duo of antagonists, namely the sadistic Cletus Kasady/Carnage (played by Woody Harrelson) and fellow long-time Spider-Man villain Frances Louise Barrison/Shriek (played by Naomie Harris). While the recently released trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage didn't feature Spider-Man, this now expanding series surrounding characters from that particular hero's stories certainly seems to be gaining plenty of footing on its own. The whole Marvel/Sony thing really gets confusing sometimes, doesn't it?
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When speaking with IGN, Serkis discussed how the sequel is working to portray Carnage, focusing on a number of aspects including his parallels to the relationship between Eddie Brock (played by Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy) and the symbiote life form known as Venom that inhabits his body. "With all symbiotes, they reflect the person who is their host," Serkis said. "So the darkness of Carnage, the playfulness, the wit, the strangeness. Cletus has a real intelligence and… a real sense of humor, and we wanted to reflect that in the symbiote that is linked to him." The idea is that Eddie, while violent and prone to a bit of carnage on his own while in Venom mode, ultimately turns out to be a good guy (or at least anti-hero). But the demented Cletus turns into something far more dangerous when merged with his own personality-amplifying life form.
Shriek, meanwhile, appears to be much more of a sympathetic villain. Serkis specified how she comes from a perilous past, living through a dangerous childhood and staying isolated for much of her life, and how that comes into play with why she ends up how she does. "She's dangerous too and I think she has her own sense of fairness and being just, and I think when that line is crossed, then you see a very, very dangerous, dark side to her, and that's what we wanted to do with the character." In contrast to Cletus' eccentric and maniacal streak, Frances' character appears to center on the hurt she's suffered throughout her life. Perhaps that means she'll be more portrayed like Ghost in the surprisingly clever Ant-Man and the Wasp rather than a straight-up baddie that needs to be taken down.
The presence of both Carnage and Shriek is one of the main things already known about Venom: Let There Be Carnage (unless the title was a little too subtle). But while the comics generally portray Shriek as a complete and total villain, it appears the movie will attempt to add some nuance that might not have been there originally. Seeing as Venom was a surprise hit (regardless of what some reviews might suggest) due to how it portrayed the relationship between Eddie and his symbiotic and rather violent life partner, it's probably not much of a surprise to see the sequel focusing similarly on characters.
There's no telling how it will turn out, especially with an all-new director. But fans of the first Venom film can likely take solace knowing that Hardy has already signed on for another film beyond Let There Be Carnage, so at the very least, there's a decent amount more head-biting to look forward to. Though maybe they can cut down on the lobster tank action this time.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage will release in theaters on September 24th, 2021.
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Source: IGN