Venom producer Matthew Tolmach has heaps of praise for Tom Hardy’s performance as Eddie Brock in Sony’s upcoming film. Just don’t ask him anything about the project’s potential connections to Spider-Man.
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“We’re making a Venom movie, is what I’m going to say to you,” Tolmach declared to MTV News at the red-carpet premiere of Jumanji. “A Venom movie, with Tom Hardy, and I think you will be very pleased.”
Asked whether Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is swinging around the skyline somewhere in Venom’s world, a smiling Tolmach stuck to his script, repeating, “We’re making a Venom movie … and I’m excited for people to explore it, and find out what that is.”
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In all fairness to Tolmach, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios had a difficult time settling on how Venom fits into the larger cinematic plans for Spider-Man. The two studios have an agreement in which they now co-produce Spider-Man features, and Holland’s web-slinger appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Producer Amy Pascal initially stated that Spider-Man: Homecoming exists in the same cinematic universe as Venom and the planned Silver & Black, only for Marvel’s Kevin Feige to clarify that Spider-Man is the only Sony-controlled hero who exists in the MCU. They eventually ended up on the same page, sort of.
Tolmach was eager to discuss what Hardy brings to the role of Eddie Brock, no matter what world he might exist in. “Tom, it’s like a master class watching him act every day, and he’s such a risk-taker,” he said. “And he loved this character from the day that we first met with him. My partner, Avid Arad, and I, we found someone who just believes in this character entirely, and yet every day pushes it to a place that us mere mortals would never expect it to go.”
Directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg, Venom stars Tom Hardy, Jenny Slate, Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed. The film arrives Oct. 5, 2018.