Tom Hardy to Star in “Venom” Movie, Ruben Fleischer to Direct Sony Tentpole

Tom Hardy and Ruben Fleischer are respectively set to star in and direct VENOM, the Tracking Board has learned.

Hardy has been courted for multiple comic book movies in the years since his turn as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, including Suicide Squad and the title role in X-Men: Apocalypse, but he hasn’t sparked to any of the characters until Sony offered him the role of Eddie Brock, who was the first person to become Venom.

Hardy is said to be a huge fan of Venom, and Sony execs think he bears a striking resemblance to the original comic’s depiction of Eddie Brock, which never hurts. Landing Hardy is a huge coup for Sony, and the Oscar-nominated actor is probably the best possible fit for the character as well.

Likewise, Fleischer has been in the mix to direct several comic book movies including Marvel’s Ant-Man and WB’s Suicide Squad 2. He previously directed Zombieland for Sony, which also had its eye on Fleischer for Ghostbusters 3 before the studio hired Paul Feig to take the franchise in a new direction.

Venom is not being developed as a Spider-Man spinoff, but rather a standalone feature from Sony’s Marvel Universe — a library that includes 900 Marvel characters. Throughout the history of Marvel Comics, the sharp-toothed symbiote known as Venom has appeared alongside Spider-Man, Iron Man, Deadpool, Hulk, and many other Marvel characters.

Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji) and Jeff Pinkner (The Dark Tower) are writing the script for Venom, which Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing with Amy Pascal. Columbia Pictures executives Palak Patel and Eric Fineman will overseeing the movie for the studio.

Venom will start production this fall, and Sony will release the film on Oct. 5. 2018. The studio is also developing a Silver Sable/Black Cat movie.

Hardy next stars in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and he’s also poised to play Al Capone in Josh Trank’s Fonzo. He’s represented by CAA, United Artists and attorney Jason Sloane.

In addition to Zombieland, Fleischer’s feature credits include Gangster Squad and 30 Minutes or Less. He also produced Brie Larson’s directorial debut Unicorn Store and the Miles Teller-Analeigh Tipton romantic comedy Two Night Stand. He’s repped by CAA, Management 360 and attorney Warren Dern.

There’s a darkness to the character, and I believe he’s going to be perfect for the part.

 Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief