It would be far too easy to approach this topic with all the sarcasm in the world, given Sony’s track record. Sony’s upcoming Venom movie is an interesting subject. It’s been the subject of debate not just for viewers, but for the production studios behind it. Even Marvel and Sony didn’t really know its place in things for a while. But the movie has picked up some steam. It landed Tom Hardy for the title role, and revealed its darker direction. But all of that progress now comes to a screeching halt. Originally scheduled to begin production in early September, production has now reportedly been delayed to late October. Ouch.
The reason for the delay is all about location. The movie is set to shoot in Manhattan and Atlanta. Atlanta is the key element, here. For those without a finger on the pulse of the industry, Atlanta is becoming a major production location, these days. So much so that it’s going down the line of becoming more than a little crowded. And that isn’t the only problem. The business in the area is going through other growing pains. At times it’s difficult for productions to find the necessary crew. Venom began recruiting Atlanta production crew in late August. Suffice it to say, with production originally scheduled to begin on September 1, delays were all but inevitable. The real question is in why Sony waited so long to begin putting together a crew. But that’s a whole other rabbit hole.
In any event, the movie is still very much something of a mystery. The movie takes inspiration from John Carpenter (The Thing), as well as David Cronenberg (The Fly). In other words, it’s going for a horror vibe. The film’s director, Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland). In theory, all of that makes since, at least based on some iterations of the character. Venom is a terrifying foe. The symbiote is a mass of black goo that turns hosts into hulking monsters with razor sharp teeth and freakishly long tongues. But more terrifying is that the film’s lead villain is Carnage. Carnage is a serial killer, boosted by a symbiote of his own. The movie will pit nightmare against nightmare. Hopefully Sony will finally deliver the Venom that people have been craving for, and these delays won’t get in the way.
Venom goes into production on October 23, with a projected October 5, 2018 release date.
