Tom Hardy is Helping Craft the Venom 2 Story
The news that Andy Serkis would be directing Venom 2 was met with a lot of excitement. The super talented actor, director, and motion-capture expert is the perfect choice to take Tom Hardy’s antihero alien symbiote to the next level, narratively and visually. Now /Film has some juicy tidbits (via Tuesday’s TCA 2019 event) about where Serkis might take the franchise, and it turns out that Tom Hardy himself will be helping craft the story.
One thing to note right off the bat is that Serkis and Hardy have known each other for a while. Here’s what Serkis had to say about their history:
“I’ve known Tom for many years and always admired him hugely as an actor and producer. We’ve always wanted to work together directly. I’m deeply excited to work with Tom Hardy and to work with all the great actors who are involved in it. It’s a fantastic franchise. I’m really honored to have been asked to direct it and it feels like it’s a very contemporary story. I think it’s going to be hopefully an extraordinary piece of cinema.”
Serkis knows a thing or two about creating extraordinary cinema. Consider his track record: He directed last year’s jaw-droppingly beautiful Mowgli, his photo-realistic take on Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book.” He has used motion-capture technology to embody some of the great characters of the last decade-plus, including The Last Jedi‘s Supreme Leader Snoke, Caesar the ape, the protagonist of Planet of the Apes reboot, and Gollum in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogy. The man knows how to make extraordinary cinema.
As for Hardy’s involvement in the scripting process, Serkis says the star will be working with screenwriter Kelly Marcel, who penned Venom.
“Tom is very involved with the writing with Kelly Marcel of the new story, so it’s very much centered around their take.”
Serkis is only just getting started with Venom 2, but clearly, the fact that he won the job means he’s got plenty of ideas on how to handle the sequel. Plus, his expertise with cutting-edge technology and visual effects makes him a great fit for a franchise built around one of Marvel’s most visually arresting characters. He’s also learned to trust his collaborators:
“What I’ve learned from directing full stop is you’re working with an extraordinarily team of highly talented people and to create an atmosphere where everyone is able to do their work to 150%. As much as anything, directing is about creating an atmosphere of people not being afraid to step forward with their very best work.”
Featured image: Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) in Columbia Pictures’ VEMON. Photo by Frank Masi. Courtesy Sony Pictures.
