The ‘Venom’ Movie Will Be Primarily Based on These Two Comic Runs
Sony Pictures took the stage at Comic-Con Experience 2017 in Sao Paulo, Brazil earlier today, and while the panel served as the splashy debut for the first trailer for the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie, Sony also took a minute to tease the upcoming live-action Venom movie. While no footage or even an image was revealed, Director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) appeared live via satellite to fans to shed some light on what to expect, while Tom Hardy popped into frame at the end to surprise folks.
Hardy will be portraying the title character of the long-in-the-works adaptation at least partially using motion-capture, but as of right now that’s about all we know from the film. However, during his message Fleischer revealed the movie is primarily based on two comic book runs: Lethal Protector and Planet of the Symbiotes.
Venom: Lethal Protector is a six-issue comic book series by David Michelinie and Mark Bagley that was released in 1993. The story sees Venom and Peter Parker agreeing to leave each other alone as long as Venom doesn’t commit any more crimes, so Venom packs up and leaves NYC for San Francisco—indeed, Hardy revealed that this Venom movie takes place in San Francisco. In the comic arc, Venom ends up teaming up with Spider-Man to tackle five new offspring of the Venom Symbiote: Scream, Phage, Riot, Lasher, and Agony. But we know that this movie will not feature Spider-Man—at least not Tom Holland’s Spider-Man—so don’t expect a 100% comics adaptation.
Planet of the Symbiotes, meanwhile, was a five-issue comic arc written by Michelinie that was published in 1995 under the Amazing Spider-Man banner. That story found Earth invaded by an army of symbiotes with Venom teaming up with Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider to stop them.
So, taking into account that these two comics serve as the primary inspiration for the Venom movie, the story likely finds Venom newly adjusted to San Francisco living and battling an invasion of alien symbiotes of some sort, although it’s been rumored that Carnage is the primary villain, so he may also fit in there somewhere.
The Spider-Man of it all remains a mystery beyond the confirmation that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is definitely not an official part of this universe, but Into the Spider-Verse seems to be introducing the idea of a multi-verse, so it’s possible the Venom movie takes place in a dimension separate from the Spider-Man: Homecoming one, thereby sidestepping the issue of continuity.
While filming on Venom is underway, the film is very much under wraps. The confirmed cast includes Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Reid Scott, and Scott Haze, but we don’t know who, exactly, these actors are playing beyond vagaries (Williams is reportedly filling the role of a district attorney and love interest; Slate is reportedly playing a scientist).
We’ll no doubt find out more in the coming months, but it’s still a ways off. Venom will hits theaters on October 5, 2018.
The ‘Venom’ Movie Will Be Primarily Based on These Two Comic Runs
....same thing goes for carnage. When sentry ripped him apart I was 
