Tom Hardy 'thinking about' third Venom movie; says studio 'really pleased' with Let There Be Carnage

Sony Pictures won't be retiring Eddie Brock and his Symbiote pal anytime soon — not if Tom Hardy has anything to say about it. During a recent conversation with Esquire, the actor admitted that he's already "thinking about" a third Venom movie. Mind you, we've still got a little more than a month to go until the studio releases Let There Be Carnage.

The sequel's box office performance will be the ultimate litmus test of whether or not another entry is in the cards. "A third won’t be greenlit until the second is successful, but the studio were really, really pleased with number two," added Hardy, who shares writing credit on Carnage alongside returning screenwriter Kelly Marcel.

The follow-up, which features the introduction of Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady/Carnage, has already been delayed over COVID-19 concerns. With U.S. cases on the rise again, there's no telling if Sony might want to kick it down the road again — something that could have a potential domino effect on Spider-Man: No Way Home (slated for release in late December). Despite so-so reviews from critics, the first Venom was a massive hit, netting more than $850 million at the global box office. Naturally, Sony would love a repeat of that success, which seems to be rather unattainable in the current theatrical market (look no further than The Suicide Squad's tepid domestic opening from this past weekend). 

In addition, there's an unsubstantiated rumor that Hardy will be making a cameo appearance in next year's Morbius with Jared Leto and Michael Keaton. This implies that Venom is part of a larger blueprint for Sony's own version of the MCU inspired by Spider-Man and his diverse roster of supporting heroes and villains. While Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis has already said that Eddie doesn't exist in the same reality as Tom Holland's Peter Parker, Hardy isn't opposed to some sort of crossover with the Disney side of things.

"I would be remiss if I wasn’t trying to steer any kind of connectivity,” he told Esquire. “Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don’t see why it couldn’t be," he explained. "I hope and strongly, with both hands, push, eagerly, towards that potential, and would do anything to make that happen, within what’s right in business. But it would be foolish not to head towards the Olympic Games if you were running 100 metres, so yeah! I want to play on that field.”

Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives in theaters Friday, Sep. 24.