Venom 3 is officially getting a new release date in the midst of the SAG-AFTRA strike ending, as the Marvel movie is being delayed. Tom Hardy's time as Venom might be coming to an end with Venom 3 currently set to be the trilogy finale. Details are currently unknown, including who the villains might be in Venom 3 and if there will be more connections to Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

Not even 24 hours have passed since the SAG-AFTRA strike came to an end, and Sony Pictures has already announced a new release date for Venom 3. However, instead of heading to theaters for summer, Venom 3 will now officially come out on November 8, 2024. Deadline has also revealed that Venom 3 is expected to resume production as of this week, with no word yet from Sony Pictures.

Why Venom 3 Getting Delayed Is Actually A Good Thing

While it might be frustrating for those who enjoy Sony's Spider-Man Universe to see Venom 3 getting pushed back again, this is actually a major benefit for the movie. One of the things that superhero movies have particularly suffered from over the last few years, especially in 2023, is rushed productions. Whether it be last minute reshoots or not enough time to finish VFX, comic book films have been a hit or miss when it comes to their final end result, and all stages of production are crucial factors to that.

Even though Venom 3 is resuming filming this week, it is unknown how much of the film had actually already been filmed prior to the shutdown. By having extra months to work on post-production throughout 2024, Sony Pictures is increasing its chances of having a better product when Venom 3 hits theaters. Given that this is likely the last installment in the movie franchise, the creative team will need all the extra time to perfect the threequel.

A huge positive takeaway from Venom 3's latest updates is that more information about the mysterious sequel may soon start to emerge. It might be through set photos or videos, but some spoilers are bound to get shared online depending on where they are filming. While the world waits for Venom 3, they can relive the first two movies through Blu-ray/DVD and on streaming.

Source: Sony Pictures & Deadline

Although the Venom franchise needs a strong character to break its villain trend in Venom 3, Knull needs to be saved for the MCU. As seen in Marvel Comics' King in Black storyline, the most powerful Venom villain of all time came to Earth to destroy Eddie Brock and claim the entire planet as his own. However, a film adaption is far more suited for the MCU than Sony's current reality that their live-action Lethal Protector calls home.

Thus far, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and his symbiote have fought Riot (Riz Ahmed) in the first Venom and their arch-rival Carnage (Woody Harrelson) in the aptly titled sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Likewise, a third symbiote villain was teased at the end of Let There Carnage with Toxin, the offspring of Carnage that bonded to Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham). However, a far more compelling villain would be Knull, the symbiotes' creator also known as the King in Black...but not for Venom 3. Only the MCU can make the Symbiote God as fearsome and terrifying as he needs to be.

Knull The Symbiote God Explained

Existing in the ancient primordial void, Knull is an eldritch god of the cosmos who created the symbiotes, becoming the "King in Black" as ordained by the Celestials of the Marvel Universe. While Knull resisted their authority, his own symbiote subjects eventually turned against him, trapping him on the symbiote homeworld of Klyntar. Things then progressed in the comics as most Marvel fans know with Spider-Man bringing the Venom symbiote to Earth after the first Secret Wars, something that was circumvented in Sony's Venom franchise with the symbiote landing on Earth and going straight for Eddie Brock.

However, Cetus Kasady's Carnage became a devoted servant to Knull in the comics. As such, Carnage was responsible for freeing the Symbiote God who immediately headed for Earth with an army of symbiote dragons. This led to the King in Black crossover event in 2021 where Venom and all of Marvel's heroes came together to prevent the world from being bonded to corrupted symbiotes as Knull sought to cover the entire world with his hivemind of darkness.

Why Knull and Marvel's King in Black Won’t Work For Venom 3

It would certainly be nice if Venom 3 ends up breaking the franchise's current trend by not having another symbiote villain who's simply a different color with slightly different motivations than the last differently-colored symbiote villain. However, using Knull would be a major disservice to Sony's universe, the MCU, and Knull himself. There's just not enough groundwork in the existing Venom franchise to make it as meaningful, and the reality itself is far too isolated.

Apart from Venom, Jared Leto's Morbius is the only confirmed anti-hero who exists in this reality created by Sony, though the MCU's Vulture somehow came to this reality thanks to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Additionally, Kraven the Hunter may exist in the same reality and some version of Spider-Man that's yet to be seen. As such, there's not really anyone established for Venom to ally with against Knull (who's far too powerful to be taken on one-on-one). Any version of King in Black that Sony would try to adapt for Venom 3 would be massively limited.

How & Why Knull Should Be Used In The MCU Instead

Keeping that in mind, Knull and King in Black make a lot more sense if the character and storyline are saved down the line for the MCU. Knull is a major villain with power levels on par with the likes of Thanos, Arishem the Judge, and/or Galactus. Case in point, Knull decapitated the Celestial whose severed head became Knowhere (the current base of the MCU Guardians of the Galaxy). When villains like Knull show up, it's all hands on deck. That means a film adaptation would need as many heroes as possible beyond Venom himself, which is obviously something only the MCU can adequately provide.

One of the best things about the King in Black storyline is the trust the Avengers put in Venom as they work to create defenses against the Symbiote God, ignoring Brock's darker past in the name of saving the world. Venom 3 should instead be more focused on expanding the Lethal Protector's connections to Spider-Man and perhaps start building bridges to the MCU at large. With any luck, a version of King in Black and the threat of Knull can be developed later on down the line in the MCU.

Tom Hardy's salary for Venom 3 has been revealed. Sony's foray into developing a shared Spider-Man universe has largely been successful due to the success of the Venom movies, which saw Tom Hardy transform into the investigative journalist Eddie Brock, who hosts the titular alien symbiote. The original Venom came out in 2018, and its massive box office haul prompted Sony to greenlight a sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which released in 2021. Venom 2 earned better reviews than is predecessor and made a whopping $500 million worldwide, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering its performance, it didn't come as much of a surprise when Sony officially announced Venom 3 at CinemaCon 2022.

There isn't much known about Venom 3, aside from the fact that Hardy is returning to play Eddie. Recently, the actor shared an update on the development status of the threequel, confirming that he was co-writing the Venom 3 script with Kelly Marcel after the duo collaborated on Let There Be Carnage. In the original movie, besides starring and writing the screenplay, Hardy also served as producer, although it's not clear if he would take on these creative duties for Venom 3. Still, it appears that Hardy will take a large sum home for the project.

A new report from Variety suggests that Hardy could be paid as much as $20 million for reprising his role in Sony's Venom 3. The salary is the base pay for Hardy's performance only. However, the actor could presumably be receiving more, given his writing and possible producing duties on Venom 3 may lead to a more substantial income.

This impressive payout doesn't come as a surprise, considering that Hardy is an A-list actor who has starred in blockbuster films including Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Legend, and The Revenant. What's more, a $20 million compensation is typical for stars of his stature. His peers like Vin Diesel, Chris Hemsworth, and Ryan Reynolds are earning similar sums for their work on Fast X, Extraction 2, and Spirited, respectively. As of this report, it's unclear if Hardy has any deals in place tied to Venom 3's box office earnings. The actor could negotiate a potential profit-sharing agreement, as well as a first-dollar gross contract, as Tom Cruise and others have done, which could increase his earnings. However, it's unlikely that information would be disclosed to the public.

Considering that Hardy has starred in notable projects for almost 25 years, it makes sense for Sony to put money into his widely recognized star power, especially after both of its Venom collaborations with him proved to be lucrative. The actor earned $7 million in his Sony Spider-Man Universe debut, and although his Let There Be Carnage pay has not been officially declared, it is estimated to be around $15-17 million. Taking these figures into account, a $20 million payout for the upcoming Venom 3 movie isn't necessarily a big jump; rather, it is an anticipated increase. Hardy also doesn't pocket all his earnings, but frequently makes sizeable donations to the causes such as cancer research and treatment, youth development, and support for mental health and those living with disabilities. Regardless, the actor's Venom 3 pay out is undeniably impressive.