After his involvement was first rumored several weeks ago, Sony has finally confirmed it. Variety brings word that Andy Serkis has officially signed on to direct Venom 2.
Serkis was part of a shortlist of potential directors that included Bumblebee‘s Travis Knight and Serkis’ Rise of the Planet of the Apes collaborator Rupert Wyatt. Although Serkis is primarily known for his acting work and motion capture performances, he’s dabbled behind the camera as well. He made his feature directorial debut in 2017 with Breathe and also helmed Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, which arrived on Netflix last year.
This news comes almost a week after Tom Hardy seemed to prematurely announce Serkis’ hiring. Last Wednesday, Hardy posted a screenshot of Serkis on his official Instagram account. He quickly deleted the post, but not before a number of social media users were able to take screencaps of his mistake.
It also looks as though Serkis has already started doing research for the sequel. The filmmaker just confirmed the new gig via his own Instagram page. The image shows Serkis holding a copy of Venom: Lethal Protector #6, the final installment of the 1993 miniseries. That series, written by the character’s co-creator David Michelinie and illustrated by Mark Bagley, Ron Lim, and Sam DeLarosa, formally established Eddie Brock as an anti-hero rather than a villain. You can check out Serkis’ post below.
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Recommended Reading: Venom: Lethal Protector