For an ambitious shared mythology that’s evidently being designed to replicate the formula that brought Marvel so much success, the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters is taking a fair bit of time to get going. Obviously, the Coronavirus pandemic has had a seismic impact on the franchise’s expansion plans, and the latest trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage has fans getting worried.
Tom Hardy’s return as Eddie Brock was originally announced for October of last year, before being shunted back to June 2021 as the COVID-19 domino affect decimated the theatrical calendar. It was then pushed back to September 17th, and shortly afterwards shifted a week to the 24th.
While that hasn’t changed publicly, when the splashy new promo dropped yesterday, the internet was quick to notice that instead of offering a locked-in release date, Venom: Let There Be Carnage instead offered the vague promise of “coming this fall”. As you can see from the reactions below, many fans think another setback is incoming.
One day the theatrical industry will return to normal, but the longer time goes on, the further away that point seems to get. Just when it looked as though business was picking up and gathering both consistency and momentum for the first time in a long time, the Delta variant appeared on the scene to cause more uncertainty and confusion.
As things stand, Venom: Let There Be Carnage hasn’t been slapped with another delay, but it was a very deliberate move on Sony’s part to avoid committing to a specific date right after bludgeoning viewers with plenty of money shots featuring the title hero and Woody Harrelson’s Carnage in action.