‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Trailer: Tom Hardy Returns in Andy Serkis’ CGI-Packed Sequel

At long last, a first full trailer for “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” has finally dropped, with new footage that promises another CGI-packed spectacle with Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, AKA Venom. One of the Marvel milieu’s most beloved antiheroes, Venom first got his own franchise film with the 2018 original, directed by Ruben Fleischer. “Let There Be Carnage” is currently set to be released on September 24 in theaters, though it has already bounced around the Sony Pictures release calendar. This is the latest entry in Sony’s cache of Marvel titles.

Motion capture master Andy Serkis steps behind the camera to direct the superhero movie followup to the smash 2018 hit. Critics trashed that comic book tentpole starring Tom Hardy as the notorious Spider-Man villain. It still went on to take in just over $850 million at the global box office.

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For “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” Tom Hardy is back in the title role, and Michelle Williams is also returning as his love interest, Anne Weying. The sequel pits Venom against Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson. The actor was first introduced as the flame-haired villain in the post-credits sequence of the 2018 film. Also new to the mix is “Moonlight” Oscar nominee Naomie Harris, coming aboard as Shriek, the love interest for Carnage.

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” finds Andy Serkis in the director’s chair for his fourth feature, with his catalog of films including “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” from 2018 and the romance “Breathe” from 2017. Serkis is a motion capture legend thanks to his work on “The Lord of the Rings,” “King Kong,” and “Planet of the Apes.” Criticisms were mainly flung at the original “Venom” for its CGI — which requires Tom Hardy to be complexly blended with the technology — so it stands to reason that Serkis will more fluidly integrate motion capture graphics into real-world settings than the first film did. Still, details on the film’s tech have been under wraps.

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” also features a new screenwriter, Kelly Marcel, and a new cinematographer, Oscar winner Robert Richardson, who is best known for his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino.

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