Alongside Spider-Man, Venom is perhaps the most popular character from Sony's rather moderate Spider-Verse to date. While the first movie from 2018 was a huge success among fans and critics, reactions to "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" were a little more mixed. Meanwhile, "Morbius" and "Madame Web" didn't really give the impression as if Sony knew what they were doing. So now all hopes are pinned on the third and final part of the series: "Venom: The Last Dance". The film will be released in theaters this year - so it's high time we put together all the information about the cast, plot and production as well as the most exciting rumors in this video!

Cast

Tom Hardy is of course back in his role as reporter Eddie Brock. Brock came into contact with the alien symbiote Venom in Part 1 and since then, the two have been literally inseparable. Venom usually makes an appearance when the situation gets dicey - or when he's simply hungry for some human flesh.

In addition to Hardy, two other actors have already been confirmed for the cast: Juno Temple, known for her role as Keeley Jones in the series "Ted Lasso", will take on an important role. This marks her third appearance in a comic book adaptation after "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Sin City 2". Chiwetel Ejiofor, who we know from the "Doctor Strange" movies, in which he played Master Mordo, will likewise be joining the cast. His role in "Venom 3" remains a secret. It is assumed, however, that he'll play a new character, as there have been no signs of a "Dr. Strange" - "Venom" crossover so far.

Returning to the cast is Michelle Williams in her role as Anne Weying. Anne is Eddie's ex-girlfriend and he makes no secret of the fact that he still has strong feelings for her. Fans who had hoped for a comeback of the two in the second movie were disappointed: she is now engaged to her new boyfriend Dr. Dan Lewis, played by Reid Scott, who is also returning for part 3. Whether Eddie and Anne will end up having a happy ending after all, remains to be seen.

Fans will also be pleased to see the iconic store owner Mrs. Chen back in the cast, played by Peggy Lu. Likewise confirmed for the cast is the young Canadian Clark Backo: However, nothing is known about her role yet.

Although no other cast members have been officially announced, there is speculation that Stephen Graham could return as Detective Mulligan. The reason for this: It was teased at the end of "Venom 2" that the symbiote Toxin, which is closely tied to Mulligan's character in the comic book original, would return.

There are also rumors that Tom Holland's Spider-Man could finally make an appearance in the third "Venom" film. According to rumors, the two movie series will be merged, which is not at all unlikely after Hardy's cameo appearance in "Spider-Man: No Way Home".

Plot

Despite the lack of official details about the plot of "Venom 3", there are already some promising clues. What is clear is that the plot will tie in with the mid-credits scene from "No Way Home". In this scene, he was pulled into the MCU by a magic spell cast by Dr. Strange. There, he shares stories with a bartender in Mexico about the events of the Infinity saga. Interestingly, Venom recognizes Peter Parker, which could indicate that the symbiotes can access mutual memories. This is also reminiscent of the other Venom who encountered Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 3".

After Dr. Strange undoes the spell, they are sent back to their own universe. This could be where the plot of "Venom 3" picks up: The first set pictures suggest that the action will initially take place in Mexico on the Day of the Dead, a world-famous Mexican holiday.

This is what Toxin is all about

When it comes to Eddie's antagonist, one name is particularly talked about: Toxin is the strongest symbiote we know so far; superior to both Venom, Carnage and Spider-Man. Here's some info on his role in the comics - if you want to avoid spoilers, we recommend skipping this section.

In the comics, the symbiote Toxin is firmly bonded with police officer Patrick Mulligan. This connection transforms Mulligan into a powerful anti-hero. But Toxin brings with him not only physical strength, but also a dark side: Mulligan is plagued by murderous impulses and urges that force him to leave his family and live in isolation. Despite these difficulties, a strange relationship develops between Mulligan and Toxin. Toxin unexpectedly shows compassion and makes a deal with Mulligan: the policeman retains most of his control in exchange for Toxin being allowed to take over completely for two hours. This agreement allows the two of them to resume Mulligan's former occupation as a policeman and hunt down criminals. Although Toxin is an immense burden for Mulligan, he is one of the few symbiotes who show consideration for their host and pay attention to the host's wishes. As a result, Toxin tends to be seen as a "good" symbiote.

What makes Toxin so special is its superhuman strength: it can lift around 115 tons. Besides his physical strength, the symbiote gives him improved stamina, agility and reflexes. Toxin can even spin webs and climb walls similar to Spider-Man.

The End of Venom & Tom Hardy

Regardless of what the plot will ultimately revolve around in detail: It looks as though "Venom: The Last Dance" will be the last solo film starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. The recently announced title practically gives it away: it will be "the last dance". Fans can therefore only hope that there will already be a "Spider-Man" - "Venom" crossover in this movie.

However, the reunion could also be carried out later and without Tom Hardy: After all, a piece of symbiote remained in the MCU after he returned to his universe in the "No Way Home" scene. It could now look for a new host. So you wouldn't necessarily need Eddie Brock to make the crossover happen. However, we doubt that this would make the fans happy.

We may have to get used to the idea that Venom will be played by a different actor in the future. Tom Hardy will certainly be hard to substitute.

Production

Filming for "Venom 3" has been in progress since June 26, 2023 in Los Mateos in Cartagena, Spain, as well as in Calblanque Regional Park - further filming took place in London. Like so many productions, the whole project was paused temporarily due to the strikes in Hollywood. However, according to actress Juno Temple, filming is now almost complete.
The movie is directed by Kelly Marcel, who already co-wrote the scripts for the two previous movies and is now directing for the first time in her career - surely a bold move to rely on an inexperienced director for "Venom 3". Nevertheless, she knows the franchise very well thanks to her work as a writer and she also penned the screenplay for this film. She was supported by Tom Hardy, who had already co-written "Venom 2".

Venom 3 Release Date and Other Spider-Man Projects

"The Last Dance" is set to be released in theaters on October 25, 2024. Unfortunately, there is no first trailer or teaser yet. However, Sony has another Marvel movie in the pipeline beforehand: "Kraven the Hunter", yet another anti-hero who is a major antagonist of Spider-Man in the comics, will hit theaters on August 30, 2024. We've already made a video about him too, if you're interested in his story. There's also an open date of June 27, 2025, for the release of another SSU film - sadly, no one knows what it's about. Projects such as a "Sinister Six" film or "El Muerto" are more or less in a state of production hell, albeit the latter has probably been in development again as of January 2024.

The Status of Spider-Man 4

The movie that fans are most eagerly looking forward to is "Spider-Man 4" with Tom Holland. Based on the latest news, filming is now set to begin in the fall of 2024, after Sony and Marvel have not really been able to reach an agreement on a story for the sequel. Sony is focusing primarily on a multiverse adventure of the "No Way Home" brand with lots of familiar characters. Marvel, in turn, would prefer something more down-to-earth that takes an in-depth look at the characters. Here, ideas for a story revolving around criminal power struggles in New York, Kingpin and Daredevil have already made the rounds. Regardless of what it ends up being: Most fans would certainly be thrilled to have Venom make another appearance.