VenomSpinOff Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Remember the Venom spin-off rumors that were slithering around last July? They've now turned into something official. Sony is developing a Venom movie, and they've hired two writers to develop it: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who have only just left the still-filming Zombieland. The project is in such early stages that we don't have additional details, though more might become clearer once Spider-Man 4 settles down.

However, our Scott Weinberg actually caught up with Reese and Wernick last week and has this to say: "Based only on the half-hour I spent talking movies with the screenwriters, I can say that IF there has to be a Venom movie, then these are the guys who can pull it off. They seem to understand the practical (studio) side of the project, the professional (screenwriter) perspective, and (best of all) the enthusiasm needed to make the movie cooool. They couldn't divulge ANY tidbits at all, sorry! But at this early point, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic about Venom."

So, there you have Weinberg's take on the project and you know he'll probably be right. In the interests of keeping things balanced in cinematic geekdom, I shall remain skeptical about the symbiotic spin-off. Admittedly though, my bias may be purely based on how many jerks I know who sport Venom t-shirts.

It looks like someone read my supervillains piece (yes, I'm that influential) because according to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony is looking to give Venom his/its own spin-off movie (first reported by IESB earlier this year). They think Spider-Man would benefit from a few stand-alone stories, as they actually consider it to be "an aging franchise." (We all better check ourselves into nursing homes then, seeing as we actually lined up for the first movie all those years ago!)

Now, as I stated so emphatically, I do believe a villain could carry his own movie. (After watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog, I'm even more convinced.) But Venom? Seriously? It's not even a character in the strictest sense of the word. It's a ... symbiote! (In the Ultimate Universe, it wasn't even that much, it was just a suit.) It just bonds to people and makes them do really bad things. How can you make a movie about a parasite? Will they give it the sympathetic angle of a lonely and silent creature who just wants to make some friends?

While Sony and Marvel have yet to comment, the studio has hired Jacob Estes to write a draft, and they're eying potential cast members. Topher Grace won't be reprising his role from Spider-Man 3, as they're not convinced he can carry a big budget picture. They should be more worried about a symbiote carrying a tentpole picture, but that's just me. Maybe the Spider-Man fans out there feel differently -- in fact, I know some must, because of the dozens of Venom T-shirts I've seen in my lifetime. Is Venom the character you want flying the Spider-Man banner?