Andy Serkis Joins Comic Book Movie Fore as ‘Venom 2’ Director

We’ve seen him in impressive CGI roles and in a number of superhero/sci-fi movies; and now, actor Andy Serkis is set to lend his creative eyes behind the scenes as he takes on the directorial duties for Sony’s follow-up to Tom Hardy’s Venom.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Serkis has finally wrapped up negotiations for him to helm Venom 2. In late July, Serkis flew to Los Angeles to discuss the project (he was also one of the directors shortlist for the sequel). Venom 2 marks Serkis’ third film effort, following his 2018 take on “The Jungle Book,” titled Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. The movie was initially for Warner Bros., but went on to find a home in Netflix’s library.

Serkis is widely regarded as one of the best CGI actors of today. He gained significant acclaim when he played Gollum in Peter Jackson’s beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy. After dominating Middle Earth with his impressive Gollum performance, Serkis then joined the galaxy far, far away as Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. However, his impressive stint as the Palpatine wannabe was cut short when Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) drove a lightsaber through him in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. Aside from these two big franchises, Serkis was also the mainstay of the new Planet of the Apes movies under Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves. Serkis also played one of the villains of 2017’s Black Panther, the smuggler Klaw. Given Serkis’ vast achievements and notable CGI performances, THR reports that it is one of the factors that made Sony want to bring him in as Venom 2‘s director.

Venom was a certified hit for Sony, despite the absence of its original host, Peter Parker, in the film. It ended its global box office run with a hefty $856 million haul. Hardy will reprise his role as Eddie Brock/Venom, with Woody Harrelson presumed to be the sequel’s villain. Harrelson appeared in a last-minute cameo towards the end of the first film, portraying Cletus Kasady, AKA Carnage.

Venom 2 has no set release date as of yet.