Though some might have issues with what we’ve seen in the trailers so far, it’s fair to say that most fans are more pleased with Tom Hardy’s version of Eddie Brock from the upcoming Venom solo movie than the one we got from Spider-Man 3 just over a decade ago.
Topher Grace’s interpretation was never well received by Spidey lovers for the divergences from the classic comic book depiction of the villain, and it turns out this judgement that Hardy trumps Grace is actually supported by Grace himself, too. While talking to Inverse to promote his new movie, BlacKkKlansman, the star revealed that he thinks Hardy’s born to play Venom and is excited to get to watch him in action when the film arrives this October.
“To me — I truly mean this — I think Tom is the guy to play that role. I’m thrilled to watch it as a fan. I really mean that. I think he’s just the best dude.”
Grace went on to make it clear that he’s been a big fan of Venom since childhood and, due to this, he did have issues with the way his character went down in Spider-Man 3. However, he supports the version seen in Venom, as it feels much closer to the comics.
“I understand Sam’s interpretation, which was to do a dark version of Tobey [Maguire]’s character. I was thrilled because I was such a fan of the character, but I was aware of how it was different from what I had grown up reading. I thought it was cool, but I’m really excited to see [Tom Hardy’s version]. That’s the character I grew up with.”
It’s good to know that Grace is so generous to Hardy’s portrayal and doesn’t appear to hold any ill will that the franchise has moved on without him. After all, there were plans for a Venom movie to follow Spider-Man 3 back in the day, but the project never got off the ground until recently.
It’s hard to disagree with his comments, though, as Hardy does look to be owning the role. That said, despite Grace’s belief that this is the Venom he grew up with, the movie will take a lot of liberties with the character, like removing his connections to Spider-Man for one. We’ll have to see if these changes are for the better when Venom crawls into cinemas on October 5th.