After co-writing and co-producing the first twoVenomfilms,Kelly Marcel has been tapped to directTom Hardy in the upcomingVenom 3. The hiring of Marcel is a promising sign, not just because she has a well-established working relationship with the actor whose gonzo performance carries the whole franchise (Marcel and Hardy shared a story credit onLet There Be Carnage), but because her strengths as a storyteller exemplify what theVenommovies need more of. Sony marketedLet There Be Carnageas a quirky romantic comedy about the complicated relationship between a man and his alien parasite, but it ended up being another generic comic book actioner with low stakes and a mediocre villain. Based on Marcel’s previous work – namely,Saving Mr. BanksandFifty Shades of Grey– depicting complex relationships is her greatest strength as a storyteller. Since she’s calling the shots for the threequel,Venom 3is Marcel’s chance to explore Eddie’s relationship with Venom in as much depth as the corporate skirmish betweenMary Poppinsauthor P.L. Travers and movie tycoon Walt Disney inSaving Mr. Banks, or the toxic sadomasochistic romance of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey inFifty Shades. With Marcel at the helm,Venom 3might finally deliver the offbeat superhero romcom thatLet There Be Carnagepromised to be.
A big-budget studio movie is never an ideal directorial debut, but Marcel’s first feature will tackle themes that she’s been exploring throughout her whole career. InSaving Mr. Banks, Disney tries to persuade Travers to give up the film rights to her stories, just like Venom tries to persuade Eddie to let him eat people. InFifty Shades of Grey, Ana gets trapped in an unhealthy relationship with Christian, just like Eddie is trapped in an unhealthy relationship with Venom. Whereasthe first twoVenommoviesput their relationship problems in the backseat to bring the action and spectacle to the forefront, the third one should bring the relationship problems into the forefront and push the action into the backseat. Audiences can get CG-heavy action set-pieces in just about every major movie release these days; what makes theVenommovies special is Hardy’s dual performance asEddie and his symbiotic sidekick.
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FromSpider-Man 3toThe Matrix RevolutionstoThe Godfather Part III, third movies in franchises tend to be the worst. But the most satisfying threequels tend to be from trilogies whose first two installments were already pretty weak:Logan,Thor: Ragnarok,Revenge of the Sith.Venom 3can pull off what those threequels did, finally striking the right tone for the characters and storylines at play.ForLogan, it meant going darker and grittier (and bloodier); forRagnarok, it meant going sillier and zanier; and forRevenge of the Sith, it meant harking back to the uniquely pulpy, action-packed, yet emotionally engaging feel of the original trilogy. ForVenom 3, the secret could be focusing less on the standard superhero action and more on the body horror of symbiote bonding and the interpersonal conflicts that arise from sharing a physical vessel.
A lot of fans arehoping for an R-ratedVenommovieto indulge in more gruesome violence and more profane dialogue. But scoring a more lenient MPAA certificate isn’t as important as leaning into the lunacy of these characters’ cohabitation within the same body. A man and an alien who begrudgingly love each other and have to learn to live together have the potential for as much heartwarming hilarity as the central relationships inAnnie Hall,When Harry Met Sally, andForgetting Sarah Marshall. But under the direction of Ruben Fleischer andAndy Serkis, neither of the previousVenommovies have been particularly interested in that aspect of the premise. The trailers have used Eddie and Venom’s banter as a selling point, but the story arcs tend to be the usual external conflicts.
In the oversaturated superhero movie market, it’s not enough to just provide the expected comic book thrills anymore. Since the formula has now been played out every which way,the best modern superhero moviesare the ones that explore what makes their characters unique. Rather than marketing it as a buddy movie to get butts in seats and then just churning out another formulaic actioner with occasional banter, Sony needs to deliver on its promises withVenom 3.Let There Be Carnagehad some fun with Eddie and Venom taking a break from their relationship and reuniting with a stronger bond than ever, but the relationship dynamics need to take center stage in the threequel. WithMarcel writing, producing, and directingthe new installment,Venom 3should be like couples’ counseling for the intertwined duo.
Venom 3is currently in development with no confirmed release date, although based on the first two movies’ October release dates in 2018 and 2021, respectively, it stands to reason that the third one will arrive in October 2024.
