Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis explains the new look for Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady aka Carnage. The character was introduced in a mid-credits scene for the movie Venom, which hit theaters in 2018. Now that a trailer for the sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has finally dropped, anticipation is even higher for the followup. The sequel was originally supposed to be released in 2020, but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is set to premiere this September. The film will take place over a year after the events of the Venom.
Venom stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a down-on-his-luck journalist who becomes bonded to the titular symbiote Venom and eventually teams up with the creature to help protect the earth. Harrelson's Cletus Kasady only appears in a mid credit scene, but in that scene his character is set up to be the main antagonist of the sequel. The scene sees Brock going to visit San Quentin Prison in order to interview serial killer Cletus Kasady, refered to as "Red" by one of the guards. Kasady's unkept red curls nearly cover his eyes as he says, "When I get out of here, and I will, there's gonna be carnage."
In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Kasady has a much different look. The killer no longer dons a straight jacket and untamed curls but instead appears in a blue prison uniform with shorter, more clean-cut hair. The trailer also goes on to show Kasady as the subject of human experimentation before finally revealing him in his symbiote form. Speaking with IGN, Serkis opened up about why they changed Harrelson's appearance:
“We wanted to give a sense that he's been in there for some time and that he's gone through various changes. ... so that we could really [see] what's going on with the darkness of the character."
In this trailer break down, Serkis also goes on to explain the similarities between Brock and Kasady, aside from the obvious fact that they both end up bonded to alien symbiotes. Serkis explains that both Brock and Kasady had strange upbringings and relationships with their families and therefore an "inherent loneliness that they both recognize in each other." In the mid-credit scene where Kasady first appears, it is even made clear that he will only talk to Brock. It's possible that Kasady's new look also mirrors the way that Brock presents himself: with a short, basic haircut that complements his overall messy but manageable look. There is also the possibility that the shorter hair is simply the way Kasady prefers to keep it. In one of the many blink and you'll miss it hidden details of the trailer, a copy of the Daily Bugle shows an image of Kasady's mug shot, with his hair looking much shorter and straighter than it was in Venom.
As all good trailers do, this first look as Venom: Let There Be Carnage leaves fans with more questions than it answers. Hopefully, most or all of those questions will be answered this September when the movie finally hits theaters after the multiple delays it has faced. The trailer sets viewers up for all the chaos and fun of the first film, diving even deeper into the dark world of Eddie Brock and Venom. For now, fans are set to analyze every detail of the trailer and wait for more sneak peaks and information about the film to surface.
Source: IGN.com
