Director Andy Serkis has revealed that Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a love story at its core. Following on from the events of the highly successful 2018 release Venom, the sequel follows the story of Eddie Brock as he grapples with the new challenge of playing host to the alien symbiote, Venom, that has taken over his body. The follow-up welcomes back most of the old cast including Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams, with the addition of Woody Harrelson, who promises to cause some "carnage" as serial killer Cletus Kasady. Naomie Harris is also set to appear as Shriek, who is Cletus' lover in the comics.
The announcement that Serkis would be directing the sequel was welcome news to many. Following an incredibly successful acting career that spans across the Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, and the Marvel and Star Wars universes, Serkis is well acquainted with creating epic pieces of cinema. His involvement as director on Venom 2 even had many wondering if Tom Hardy's character, Venom, could be created using motion capture this time around, since this is an area with which Serkis is very familiar. However, Serkis recently confirmed that Venom will be comprised of mostly CGI, so as not to interfere with Hardy's performance. Nonetheless, the big question that remained was how Serkis would approach the story-telling aspect within the sequel and how it would differ from the likes of Ruben Fleischer's first installment.
Now, Serkis has revealed in the production notes for Venom 2 (via Comic Book) that, in his view, the film is in fact a love story. Rather than a traditional romantic love, however, Venom 2 is about "the extraordinary relationship between symbiote and host." The director states that while both Eddie and Venom's relationship "absolutely causes problems and stress," the pair "cannot live with without each other." Check out Serkis' full quote below:
“The film is a love story – but not the love story you might think ... It’s very much about the extraordinary relationship between symbiote and host. Any love affair has its pitfalls, its high points and low points; Venom and Eddie’s relationship absolutely causes problems and stress, and they have a near-hatred for each other. But they have to be with each other – they can’t live without each other. That’s companionship – love – the things that relationships are really about.”
The relationship between Eddie and Venom gradually evolved over the events of the first film, with the pair ultimately agreeing to live somewhat in harmony alongside one another in the movie's final moments. Within the production notes the film's producer, Avi Arad, also commented that "they've learned to live with each other", noting that "their codependence forces them to stay together". Teasers for the sequel have given small glimpses into how Eddie and Venom's relationship has blossomed since the first movie, but their partnership is likely to be put to the test when they come face to face with Venom's nemesis, Carnage.
Venom 2 looks set to be more intense and action-packed than its predecessor. However, despite what's been teased in trailers, the sequel is matching the PG-13 rating that was a big talking point of the first movie. It will be interesting to see how Serkis crafts his action sequences to be in-line with both the MPAA rating as well as what fans of the comics will hope to see play out on screen. After a number of delays due to COVID-19, rumors had been circulating that Sony were looking to push back the sequel's scheduled October release date once again. However, those rumors were recently quashed following the announcement that Venom: Let There Be Carnage will hit theatres two weeks earlier than planned on October 1, so fans don't have long to wait to see how Serkis' version of the anti-hero stacks up.
Source: Comic Book
