‘Venom: 3’: Sony Titles Final Tom Hardy Film & Moves It Up To October 25

Despite their arguably growing miscalculation of audience interest in “Spider-Man” spin-off films like the awful “Madame Web,” Sony Pictures still has two more Spidey-related movies coming in 2024 that they hope will earn them some box office dollars and better reviews. “Kraven The Hunter” is next on deck on August 30, but we’ll also get a third “Venom” film later this year. The latter movie has finally been given an official title from the studio, “Venom: The Last Dance,” suggesting a final installment to it all. Additionally, Sony has bumped up the release date from November 8 to October 25.

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It’s a slightly curious move. On November 8, the only real competition was 20th Century Studios’ adult spy film “The Amateur,” granted something of a star-studded affair with Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, and Caitríona Balfe. However, October 25 seems to put it in a more direct genre and horror competition, as it will face off against Universal’s “The Wolf Man” starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner. Maybe Sony’s just picked the lesser of two evils and no Oscar winners to compete against.

In the film, Tom Hardy plays investigative reporter Eddie Brock, whose life is turned upside down after bonding with a sentient alien symbiote that grants him superpowers. Initially, the character had a direct connection to Peter Parker and Spider-Man, as seen in “Spider-Man 3.” But Sony’s solo franchise has kept Spidey out of the origin and mostly has minor connective tissue via multiverse nods, as seen in the “Spider-Man: No Way Home” post-credits.

Franchise screenwriter Kelly Marcel steps up to direct, taking the reins from Andy Serkis, who helmed the previous film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” With a supporting cast that includes June Temple (“Fargo”) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Doctor Strange”), we’re keeping our fingers crossed that Temple is playing female symbiote villain Scream as the “Separation Anxiety” comic run could be entertaining source material to mine. Both Marcel and Hardy penned the script.

The first two installments earned Sony a collective $1.362 billion, a whopping figure considering many negative reviews. However, it’s worth pointing out that the second film, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” saw a hefty dip of nearly $350 million compared to the first outing. We’re still waiting for the studio to drop a first-look trailer for “Venom: The Last Dance” and give us an idea of this final adventure.

That official title for the third “Venom” pic is an obvious nod to the Netflix documentary series that focused on Michael Jordan’s final season with the iconic Chicago Bulls roster and reiterates this will be the last franchise installment for Hardy. But who knows, maybe the symbiote could find a new host to keep the film series going. But so far, what Sony is planning with the character beyond “Venom 3” is a bit of a mystery. Until October, we wait.