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Tom Hardy Will Star As Venom In Upcoming Sony Spin-Off: Will His ‘Venom’ Outperform His ‘Bane?’

By Glenn Hadley
Published on: 15:14 PST, May 21, 2017

Actor Tom Hardy will star as Eddie Brock and Venom in the highly-anticipated Spider-Man spin-off film.

Sony Pictures confirmed the news of Hardy’s involvement with the film playing the titular role on social media on Friday. Fans and critics were undoubtedly excited by seeing Tom Hardy wearing a shirt with Venom’s face and fangs featured on the front.

Rumors of a Venom spin-off movie have circulated online for years, especially after the character made his live-action feature film debut in the 2007 Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man 3. Paired alongside Toby Maguire’s portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, actor Topher Grace was chosen to bring the symbiotic super-villain to the big screen.

More than 10 years after the movie’s theatrical release, the overall negative reaction to Topher’s performance continues to resonate online.

A common response was that Spider-Man fans enjoyed seeing the CGI-created Venom, but were not as impressed each time Topher Grace’s face appeared within the symbiotic costume.

The news of Tom Hardy starring as Venom in the first spin-off film for the fan-favorite villain has apparently reopened that old wound, feeding social media with brand new material for mocking Topher Grace while applauding the mere selection of Tom Hardy at the same time.

This spin-off film will officially introduce Tom Hardy to the world of Marvel movies. However, it will not technically be added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that moviegoers have come to know and love over the years. Venom will premiere in theaters on October 5, 2018. However, according to IGN, fans should not expect Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland to meet up with Tom Hardy’s Venom anytime soon.

Multiple reports claim that the vision of this film was a separate franchise that is not connected to the constantly expanding MCU and “unrelated to the upcoming Spider-Man movie in the works” with Tom Holland.

Fans of the DC Cinematic Universe, however, already know that Tom Hardy is capable of breathing life into a super-villain rival who battles against a beloved hero. Director Christopher Nolan chose the Inception actor to star as Bane in the conclusion of his Batman trilogy in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.

In a past interview with Collider regarding his performance as Bane, Tom Hardy stated that he did not have any “immediate knowledge” about the Batman world when he was first chosen to play the part. He claimed that he is “quite incubated” and usually keeps to himself. Perhaps the same is true about his knowledge of Venom and Spider-Man. Even if that is the case, though, fans of his past work know that Hardy commits himself to the characters that he plays, including the physical demands and corresponding workout regimen that may come along with the territory.

One of the mocked downfalls of Topher Grace’s portrayal as Eddie Brock and Venom was his relatively skinny frame in comparison to the muscular athlete that many Spider-Man fans expected to see. Only time will tell exactly what Sony Pictures decides to do with Tom Hardy’s overall look, especially since CGI and visual effects have improved a lot over the past 10 years.

[Featured Image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images]

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