The working title for Sony's Venom spin-off has been revealed as 'Antidote', possibly hinting at a new origins story for the iconic Spider-Man villain. The Tom Hardy led movie will launch a separate shared universe from its MCU cousin as Sony slowly rolls out a slate of films centered on the neighborhood superhero's antagonists, with a Silver Sable and Black Cat movie set to follow.
Venom has had various hosts over the years, but Hardy's iteration has been specifically confirmed to be Eddie Brock. In the pages of the comic books, Brock's story is traditionally intertwined with that of Peter Parker. Initially, a Daily Globe reporter who covered the Sin-Eater case, his career was unfortunately ruined when he published an incorrect report about the real identity of the mysterious personality. He suffered serious depression with suicidal tendencies and blamed Spider-Man for his predicament. During a trip to the same church where the wall-crawler hero repelled the Symbiote, the alien substance felt Brock's abhorrence to Spider-Man and bonded with him to make him its newest host.
Omega Underground is now reporting that the working title for the yet-to-be-titled Venom film will be Antidote. The code name is only expected to be used during the pre-production and principal photography for the film and shooting is said to be starting in September in Atlanta, as well as New York City.
While working title's don't always have any deeper meaning to the plot, the temporary moniker could potentially hint at a different origins story for Brock's Venom. Instead of his comic-book narrative, his big screen iteration could get in contact with the Symbiote via a pandemic virus. There's also the possibility that he is nursing a fatal disease and bonding with the Symbiote is the only thing that is keeping him alive. On a different note, Antidote may be teasing on the introduction of Anti-Venom on the film as well.
It's still unclear how Sony will project their Venom spin-off without the involvement of Peter but it seems like the studio is determined to push through with the production. And fans aren't the only ones that seem to be unsure of Venom's place in Marvel's pantheon of movies, either. During Spider-Man: Homecoming's press tour, Amy Pascal claimed the properties are adjunct to each other, only to be contradicted by Marvel boss Kevin Feige, prompting Pascal to retract her earlier comment. Things got more confusing when Pascalonce again and said Venom is "in the same reality" with the MCU, which Feige, surprisingly, agreed with.
The Venom film currently has Zombieland helmer Ruben Fleischer attached to direct. Rumor has it that Cletus Kasady's Carnage will be the movie's main villain while Brock’s former wife, Anne Weying, who takes on the She-Venom part in the comics, as casting for her part is ongoing.
Source: Omega Underground
