The release of Venom: There Will Be Carnage has been pushed back yet again due to Covid-related complications. Two weeks ago, the sequel to 2018’s Venom had been postponed from a June 25th premiere to September 17th, but now sits at a September 24th release-date slot. 

The entertainment industry, like many other industries, has not been immune to the pandemic and the state of limbo that it has left us in. With vaccines in effect, and some lockdown restrictions easing up while others buckle down, it’s a confusing time for everyone. 

September is gearing up to be a big month for high-profile movie releases, leaving Venom 2’s theatrical-run with plenty of competition. Exiting its Sept. 17th slot, which would have aligned Venom 2’s opening day with Death on the Nile and The Boss Baby: Family Business, its Sept. 24th premiere coincides with Dear Evan Hansen and The Many Saints of Newark, the prequel to HBO’s The Sopranos. 

On top of that, Venom, despite luke-warn reviews, did manage to make a whopping $885 million at the global box office in 2018, so there’s much for the sequel to live up to, revenue-wise.

Tom Hardy will reprise his starring role as Marvel antihero Venom, originally Eddie Brock, the journalist who found himself bonded to the alien symbiote. Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson will also be rejoining the cast for Venom 2, with Harrelson in the titular role of Carnage. Naomie Harris, Reid Scott and Stephen Graham are listed as new additions to the lineup. 

Venom: There Will Be Carnage’s plot has not yet been unveiled, but we do know that Kelly Marcel, the screenwriter of Venom, has also penned the sequel. It’s reported that Hardy played a collaborative role in the storyline’s conception. 

Also, actor Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes) has taken over the role of director this time around. Venom 2 producer Matt Tolmach had this to say about Serkis in this director’s chair: “He’s a great director, but also he’s an actor and he’s played inside monsters and he sort of understands character from inside. It’s been wild to watch him with Hardy, because they speak that language that only actors understand.”

Sony Pictures’ Venom: There Will Be Carnage is produced by Tom Hardy, Kelly Marcel, Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal and Hutch Parker. Executive producers are Barry Waldman, Jonathan Cavendish, Ruben Fleischer (director of 2018’s Venom), Edward Cheng and Howard Chen.