File Under “Of Course He Is”: Tom Hardy’s Been Contracted For Three VENOM Movies

I'm gonna get this out of the way upfront: actors' contracts - especially during the age of superhero cinema - aren't really stories, at least not in the traditional sense. It's just good business that, should a studio sign top tier talent to play a role for the Industrial Cape Complex, they do so for multiple films. That way, they're good to go should the picture perform well and the studio want to greenlight a sequel immediately after their massive opening weekend box office numbers.

For the actor, these deals could also carry a clause - sometimes referred to as "Pay or Play" - where they're paid a certain fee, should those subsequent movies not happen. There are often asterisks and variations on how all these deals cover the asses of parties involved, but they're typically rock-solid and there to ensure financial security for all. That's literally how contracts work. 

So, when Tom Hardy recently talked with Total Film Magazine about the potential for future films after his upcoming turn as Eddie Brock in Venom, it should be met with a "well, no shit" response: 

“I’m open to whatever you want to do with it. We’ve signed up for three of them. So it’s very much an open case. We’ll see what people’s responses are to it. I think it’s an awesome character. I love playing both of them. It’s an amuse-bouche, and for Sony, it’s the Venom-verse launched in isolation, as it were. We all prepped for it to be a standalone universe. So whatever Sony want to attach to it at a later date, it’s a fulcrum piece. But let’s see what happens when it lands."

What's great about this quote is that even Hardy's like "well, let's see what happens, motherfuckers". He knows this movie could either be a gigantic hit or a massive flop, but that's up for the viewers to decide, not him. A dude at his level has almost certainly got some sort of CYA clause built in there, so whether we embrace or reject Venom, he's gonna be fine. 

However, this "news" also means that we can probably expect an announcement regarding a Venom sequel on Monday, October 8th, should it slaughter the opening weekend of the Halloween Season (Friday, October 5th). Hopefully, Hardy also has a "silly voice" clause in his contract, as well, so that Eddie Brock can suddenly be British in Venom 2, and then sound like a cartoon seal wearing bifocals in Venom 3. Like everyone else, I'm just thinking about the children and their futures here. 

In the meantime, check out this bonkers Japanese poster for Venom while you count down the days to its release date.