Andy Serkis Reportedly on the Shortlist to Direct Tom Hardy’s Venom Sequel

Seize some tater tots and put together a pleasant lobster tub for Andy Serkis, who could be taking up the Venom symbiote for its upcoming sequel. Not onscreen, thoughts you—in accordance with current reviews within the Hollywood trades, the Planet of the Apes and Lord of the Rings breakout would as a substitute take over the director’s chair from Ruben Fleischer as a way to accommodate a fall 2020 manufacturing.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Serkis flew to Los Angeles for conferences with Sony to direct the function, which might observe the unique MCU-adjacent movie’s $856 million international field workplace. Serkis—who additionally appeared in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther because the villainous Ulysses Klaue—has upped his behind-the-camera cred in recent times helming second models for The Hobbit trilogy and directing the Rudyard Kipling-inspired Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle for Netflix.

Additionally on the shortlist to direct the untitled Venom sequel are Bumblebee director Travis Knight and Serkis’ personal Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt. In line with Selection, “Insiders say these are simply conferences and nobody has moved right into a front-runner place.” Unique Venom director Ruben Fleischer is reportedly too busy with post-production on October’s Zombieland: Double Faucet to return for the sequel, which Sony intends to start capturing in November.