New Look at Tom Hardy’s Venom Released – Plus Promise of Heads Being Bitten Off!
Horrific Inspiration
After tackling one of DC’s greatest villains in Bane, Tom Hardy has moved to Marvel or Sony as the case may be. The actor will soon be playing Venom for director Ruben Fleischer. While only a few details have been revealed, the film sounds more and more exciting. Woody Harrelson will probably make an appearance as Carnage; Riz Ahmed will play Carlton Drake. The first trailer didn’t do the film any favors, but that has quickly changed as more images of the character have appeared.
Now, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tom Hardy and Fleischer reveal even more about the film. First, the Academy Award-nominated actor discussed the appeal of Venom. And the sometimes hilarious reasons that drew him to the character.
“As far as Marvel characters, I have to say for me, Venom looks the coolest. That sounds a bit shallow! But I appreciate that he has a kind of brazen swagger and a zero foxtrot attitude.”
As for the story itself, Venom is obviously anything but a straightforward superhero romp. That’s exactly what drew Hardy in.
“There’s a tragic clown element, which I find funny and is harmonious with some of the work that I like to do. There’s something funny about the circumstances of having a gift but it’s a tragic gift. It’s a superpower you don’t really want, but at the same time, you love it. It makes you feel special. He’s a reluctant hero and an anti-hero.”
Sounds like Eddie Brock is going to be excited about this new power he wields. Director Ruben Fleischer elaborated on that tragic gift.
Anti-Heroic
Calling Venom a superhero doesn’t exactly fit the character. Instead, Fleischer compares Eddie Brock to another, famously-cursed creature.
“We talked a lot about a werewolf and what it is when you get infected or bit by a werewolf. Usually a human gets imbued with powers or an alien comes from outer space and has to figure out how to live on our Earth. But this is really about a relationship between two people who have to work together to create this hybrid symbiotic relationship.”
That’s the exact kind of approach the characters needs. Spider-Man 3 turned Venom into a ludicrously laughable villain. An image that still haunts the Spider-Man spin-off. However, Tom Hardy is a little different than Topher Grace. According to Hardy, the performance demands several layers. The inspiration of which will surprise you.
“They have different sounds. I always saw Venom as sounding like a James Brown lounge lizard, and Eddie Brock is kind of…I don’t know, an everyday kind of guy. But he’s inherited this massive ego, this beast. There’s that biting-off-heads issue, which is not what you would expect from, say, Captain America taking down a crook.”
Alright, so can we all agree this is soft confirmation that Venom will bite someone’s head off in his upcoming film? That’s an undoubtedly terrifying image. Perfect for a Venom film. Hardy is playing Venom as multiple characters. Separating the Eddie Brock from the monster that’s slowly consuming him. Maintaining a completely unique and separate identity for the symbiote is incredibly encouraging. While no one ever doubted that Hardy would turn in an amazing performance, his words remove all doubt.
Hopefully, the final film can live up to the creatives that put it together.
Venom arrives in theaters on October 5th.
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