Whenever Andy Serkis’ name is mentioned, it’s likely that either his roles in the Lord of the Rings or Planet of the Apes series will come to mind. After all, there’s a reason most folks call him the King of Mocap. But if you’re a Marvel fan, you may know him best for his involvement in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther, two films where he played Ulysses Klaue.
Well, now we can add yet another Marvel property to his resume, as The Hollywood Reporter brings word today that Serkis has boarded Venom 2. But this time, he’ll be working behind the camera, not in front of it. Yes, as was previously rumored, the filmmaker will direct Sony’s upcoming sequel, meaning that unfortunately, Ruben Fleischer isn’t coming back.
Of course, Serkis already has two movies to his credit as a director, with the man being responsible for putting together both Breathe and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. Combine that with his long history of starring in films that are heavy on visual effects and you have someone who’s certainly well suited to a project like this.
Along with Serkis’ involvement, THR also confirmed that Tom Hardy will return, as expected. Although, unfortunately, no other details were given in regards to the supporting cast or which direction the plot will take. Still, it’s nice to know that both the star and director are now locked in and with any luck, things will get going soon.
After all, it’d be wise for Sony to fire up production on Venom 2 as soon as they can in order to capitalize on the success of the original. Don’t forget, it raked in a whopping $856 million at the worldwide box office, so fans are definitely hungry for more – and they don’t want to wait too long to get a second helping.