Of all the Spider-Man characters, Venom is one of the most vicious, exceeded only by symbiote serial killer Carnage. At the height of his 90’s popularity, his catchphrase was “I WANT TO EAT YOUR BRAIN!”, and he was frequently saying things like “I’m going to slurp down your brains like big fistfuls of jello.” He even put his money where his (big and toothy) mouth is in Venom: The Hunger #1, in which he actually chowed down on some poor goon’s cerebral cortex.
Given this, it’s probably not a huge surprise that Sony’s upcoming Tom Hardy-starring movie might receive an R-rating, thus allowing the character to presumably eat all the brains he wants to. The hint came in an interview with producer Matthew Tolmach, who was asked point blank by MTV whether the film would receive a PG-13 or R-rating. Though he wouldn’t confirm which direction they’re heading in, he did say, “We’re gonna do the right one.”
Now, that’s a bit non-committal but, given the huge financial and critical successes of Logan and Deadpool, the commercial prospects of R-rated superhero fare look a little rosier than they did a couple of years ago. Plus, we’ve already seen a neutered big screen Venom in the deeply disappointing Spider-Man 3 and I’m sure Sony would like us to forget all about that.
Tolmach was also pressed on whether Venom could crossover with the MCU, enabling a future encounter with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. His reply to that was a classic stonewall, too, simply saying: “We are making a Venom movie is what I’m going to say. We’re making a Venom movie with Tom Hardy and I think you will be very pleased.”
So again, quite non-committal, which has some fans thinking that there might still be a chance of seeing Hardy and Holland cross paths at some point. Granted, we’ve already heard numerous times now that Venom will exist in a completely separate cinematic universe, but if that’s really the case, you have to wonder why Tolmach wouldn’t just say that, right? There’s also that little tease at the end to consider, where he says, “you will be very pleased.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the producer expanded on the potential he sees in the character, saying:
“Eddie Brock is an incredible character and a gritty, real, authentic, funny but also embittered character and a truth-teller who has made mistakes. You know, Tom… it’s like a master class watching him act every day and he’s such a risk taker and he loved this character.”
Continuing on, he said:
“From the day that we first met with him, my partner Avi Arad and I… we found someone who just believed in this character entirely and yet every day pushes it to a place that us mere mortals would never expect it go. He just has crazy integrity about it and so he challenges everything we’re doing in the most brilliant way.
For him, it’s like, ‘if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it and give it it’s due.’ Because the love that the fans have for that character is profound and he shares it. So, it’s really exciting.”
Tom Hardy’s take on the anti-hero should be one of the highlights of the 2018 superhero year, but my personal hype train will only go into overdrive if and when they confirm that they’re shooting for that R-rating. Come on Sony, give us the brain-devouring Venom we know and love!