Venom has found a new host, and it’s in none other than “Gollum” himself Andy Serkis.
After Venom became one of the biggest commercial successes last year with $856 million at the box office, Sony was no doubt very eager to start working on a sequel. With Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Woody Harrelson all slated to return, all the pieces seemed to line up for Venom’s next installment. There was only one problem. Since director Ruben Fleischer started working on the sequel to Zombieland: Double Tap, that meant he was unavailable to work on other projects. For the moment, Venom 2 was out a director.
Well, not anymore. The Hollywood Reporter recently broke the news that Andy Serkis, the actor most notable for his motion-capture performances in franchises including The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, would be helming the next chapter in Venom’s saga. The actor is most known for providing motion-capture for CGI characters including Gollum in Lord of the Rings, King Kong in the 2005 remake, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy, Snoke in the newest Star Wars movies, and Ulysses Klaue in last year’s Black Panther.
While he’s typically known for his primate performances in playing hobbits, apes, and dark sith lords, he’s also dabbled in a few directing projects as well, with his debut being in the 2017 drama film Breathe and last year’s Netflix movie Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, where he also portrayed Baloo.
It remains to be seen whether or not he will also play a role in Venom’s sequel in addition to directing. In either case, his extensive experience with motion capture is no doubt one of his greatest assets, and a unique feature he’ll be able to lend towards Venom 2.
What do you guys think? Are you excited to see Andy Serkis bond with Venom, or do you wish the symbiote sought out another host? Whatever you think, comment below and let me know.
– David Dunn
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter, Polygon
DAVID DUNN 