Tom Hanks did not one silly voice, but two silly voices. Woody Harrelson wore an even sillier wig. Film critics were furious. We were delighted. The Venom franchise has been a rollercoaster, so we have no idea what to expect when the Venom 3 release date comes around. But we know it’s going to be completely absurd, and that’s enough for us.
It’s true that the two Venom films to date have not been critical darlings, but the best superhero movies don’t always win fans in that arena. But the box office dollars have allowed Venom 3 to keep moving and it’s one of the most exciting new movies of 2023. We love Venom, and we’re very keen to find out everything we can about what comes next. Here we go!
What is the Venom 3 release date?
Venom 3 is coming out in cinemas on Friday November 8, 2024. Expect plenty of joyous symbiote-based carnage to unfold.
The movie had just started filming when the 2023 Actors Strike began, which shut the production down before it could really build momentum. Hardy, however, got back on set as soon as he could when the strike was resolved, and he looked absolutely thrilled about it in a post on Instagram.
With this in mind, we fully expect Venom 3 to hit its planned release date, having moved to November from an original July slot. Kelly Marcel will make her directorial debut with the movie, having worked on the scripts for all three of the Venom films.
Andy Serkis was at one point in line to return to the franchise after directing Let There Be Carnage. However, he’s currently at work on his very ambitious adaptation of Animal Farm, so he had to step aside. He’s been working on one of his best movies based on books for years, and we’re very excited to finally see what he has made of the Orwell story.
Who’s in the Venom 3 cast?
Tom Hardy is back as Eddie Brock to lead the Venom 3 cast, with Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor joining the party.
We loved Hardy’s interpretation of Brock, and by establishing new interest in the Marvel characters of both Eddie and Venom, it’s no wonder his turn has resulted in three solo movies.
If this film follows the events of Venom 2 – check out our Venom 2 review for more – we expect that we might see Stephen Graham’s Detective Mulligan become the host of the symbiote Toxin, as he does in the comics. We could also potentially see the return of Michelle Williams as Anne Weying and Reid Scott as Dr. Dan Lewis, who have helped give the Venom films a bit more humanity.
Ted Lasso cast standout Juno Temple has nabbed herself a lead role, though we don’t yet know who she’ll play. The same is true of Chiwetel Ejiofor, who we’d suggest is a very likely pick for the villain of the piece. He has form for playing bad guys in the MCU with his work as Doctor Strange’s pal-turned-nemesis Baron Mordo.
Here’s the Venom 3 cast list so far:
- Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom
- Juno Temple
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
What is Venom 3 about?
We suspect that the Venom 3 plot will deal with Detective Mulligan becoming Toxin.
This was set up during the Venom 2 ending, positioning him as a potential villain for upcoming Marvel movies in the Venom-verse. At the end of the previous film, Mulligan, who had been a good-ish guy up until that point, opened his eyes after a seemingly fatal injury to reveal they were glowing blue. This seems to suggest that Mulligan will eventually, like his comic book namesake, become Toxin.
Toxin is meant to be a spawn of Carnage, much like the way Carnage is a spawn of sorts from Venom. That essentially means that Venom is Toxin’s grandparent, but try not to think about that for too long.
The Toxin symbiote is essentially made up of all of the best abilities from its forebears, making it a force to be reckoned with. It’s not inherently evil, much like the other symbiotes, so we could even see Toxin fight alongside Venom if a bigger threat emerges. Perhaps that could relate to Chiwetel Ejiofor, who we’ll discuss more below.
Personally, we have our hearts set on a version of the ‘King in Black’ story arc, which would give Venom awesome wings. Yes please!
Venom 3 rumors and theories
There are plenty of rumors going around about Venom 3, but most speculate who the main villain will be in the upcoming movie.
In May 2023, My Cosmis Circus shared a working title for Venom 3 from Production List. The supposed title in question was simply “Orwell”, which was quickly linked to the prospect of Marvel villain Orwell Taylor being the main baddie.
Orwell is the father of a man who was smothered to death by Venom in the comics. Out of revenge, he gathered a small army of his son’s army buddies, which he named Jury. Jury’s mission is to bring Venom to justice. It has also been rumored that Chiwetel Ejiofor’s current undisclosed role is Orwell, so this theory has some legs, in our opinion.
And to add some multiverse action, Sony got all of us Spider-Man fans in a frenzy after it posted a now-deleted and cryptic video to its socials. The studio posted a TikTok of Hardy’s Venom, and Topher Grace’s Venom mashed together. If you need a refresher, Grace played Venom in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. So, does this clip mean we will be seeing the two Venoms collide?
Here's the Tom Hardy's venom vs Topher Grace's Venom fight edit that Sony posted then deleted pic.twitter.com/gpdZzWv3WQ
— Spider-Man News (@SpiderMan_Newz) September 17, 2023
There are also some whispers that Anti-Venom and Jackpot, two supporting Spider-Man characters that Sony has the rights to, will appear, but if we’re honest, that sounds like wishful thinking. Also, don’t expect Owen Wilson to turn up as Mobius — that gossip has been debunked.
An image posted by Hardy (below) from the set of Venom 3 has also got us thinking that there could even be another route to go down since the image depicts him yelling at a wolf. Could this be a hint that Venom will be facing off against the Lobo Cartel, a group of Marvel werewolves? Stranger things have happened.
Is there a Venom 3 trailer?
The Venom 3 trailer will likely arrive in mid-2024.
With the movie coming out in November, we should have our first teaser around mid-2024, and a full longer trailer soon after it.
However, while we wait and theorize when the first clips will be released, why not revisit a bit of Venom history with the below clip from Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which contains Venom’s first on-screen appearance? We’ve come a long way since then.
Will Tom Holland be in Venom 3?
Sadly, it’s very unlikely that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will show up in Venom 3.
It’s possible Eddie may meet another Spider-Man actor in his universe, but as Venom was transported back to his own dimension after No Way Home, the chances of him meeting Tom Holland’s version of the webslinger are slim.
Still, fans have noticed the Hawaiian shirt Hardy’s wearing in leaked footage is very similar to the one he wore in No Way Home, so maybe we’ll get a flashback to whatever Eddie was doing in the MCU.
Also, Venom did leave a small piece of himself behind in the MCU, so it seems likely that Marvel’s Spidey will meet some version of the symbiote in Spider-Man movies eventually. There are lots of Venom 2 Easter eggs that link the symbiote to Peter Parker, too, so who knows — maybe there’s room for this version of Eddie Brock somewhere in Marvel Phase 6?
Will Venom 3 be set in the MCU?
It’s unlikely Venom 3 will take place in the MCU since Eddie Brock is now back in his own universe.
Last we saw, Eddie and the symbiote had been transported back to their own dimension in the multiverse, which is presumably where his next film will take place. It doesn’t look like Kevin Feige wants this particular Venom in a Disney movie, but you never know — the Morbius mid-credit scene saw Michael Keaton’s The Vulture make an appearance, so never say never when it comes to those Sony-Marvel crossovers.
Perhaps as the list of Marvel movies in order grows, there’s a place for Hardy’s Venom. Just not with Venom 3.
Where can I watch Venom 3?
Venom 3 will be a theatrical-only release to begin with, before hitting digital later.
Venom 3 will be available on one of the best streaming services, Netflix, as part of a deal struck between Sony and Netflix in 2021. The film will stream for 18 months before making its way to Disney Plus and Hulu.
That’s everything you need to know about Venom 3 so far. For more from the world of Spidey, check out our list of the other best Spider-Man villains. You can also keep up to date with new movies on the way, like Spider-Man 4.
Finally, if you want a break from even the best movies, you can head to the small screen and check out every Marvel series there is. And, if you feel like a deep dive, check out our feature on why Marvel needs to learn that killing characters isn’t everything.