Sony Pictures' Venom 2 may feature a Spider-Man cameo as MCU actor Tom Holland is rumored to be in talks to appear as Peter Parker in the Marvel movie. Sony, which holds the film rights to Spider-Man and a slew of other Marvel Comics characters, has been working in recent years to build up their own slate of comic book movies. Part of their plans include sharing Spider-Man with Marvel Studios, allowing the Disney-owned studio to introduce Holland's Peter Parker to the Marvel Cinematic Universe even as they hold onto the character's rights. Separately, Sony also developed Spider-Man adjacent Marvel movies like Venom.
Hitting theaters in 2018, Venom was met by mixed critical reviews, but found a fan base of its own. Ultimately, Venom proved to be a box office success, earning $856 million worldwide. As a result, Venom 2 was announced, with Tom Hardy reprising his role as Eddie Brock. Director Andy Serkis also came aboard after the departure of Venom helmer Ruben Fleischer. Venom 2 filming started in November, with the movie presumably aiming for Sony's October 2020 release date (though the studio hasn't yet confirmed that the date is for the Venom sequel). Now, new information about Sony's Marvel movie has come to light.
Today, Geeks Worldwide reported a Venom 2 casting breakdown includes Holland as Spider-Man, but negotiations are still ongoing and a deal may not be reached. Further, GWW points out it's unclear if Holland would portray his MCU Spider-Man or a different version of the wall-crawling superhero. Daniel Richtman also reported Holland being in talks to appear in Venom 2 on his Patreon, and stated it was part of the deal Sony and Marvel struck to keep Spider-Man in the MCU.
News of Holland potentially appearing in Venom 2 shouldn't come as too big of a surprise considering Sony previously tried to get his Spider-Man in the first Venom movie. Rumors of Holland filming a cameo surfaced while Venom was in production, and continued to persist even after it had concluded. Then, when Sony and Marvel's negotiations broke down over the summer, new rumors added the insight that Marvel made Sony cut the Spider-Man cameo in Venom. Leading up to the release of Venom, there was plenty of discussion about whether the movie would be set in the MCU. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige maintained it wasn't connected, while Sony left the door open so the universes could be connected.
If Holland has a cameo in Venom 2 - even if he only appears as Peter Parker, not Spider-Man - it will effectively confirm the universes are somehow connected. If Marvel really wants to keep the worlds different, though, the studios may establish that Venom takes place in a different universe within the multiverse. If not done well, though, Sony and Marvel risk confusing casual moviegoers who don't understand the intricate details of studios and film rights.
Perhaps a multiverse adventure for Holland's Spider-Man is exactly what the studios have planned going forward. After all, there are rumors that Feige is planning Spider-Man's exit from the MCU, using the upcoming solo film Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 and remaining team-up movie to do so. If Holland's Peter Parker travels to another universe within the multiverse, it would explain him jumping to a Sony-only franchise, crossing over with Venom and leaving the MCU all in a way that makes sense to viewers. Whether that starts with a cameo in Venom 2, however, remains to be seen.
Source: Geeks Worldwide, Daniel Richtman
