Venom: Let There Be Carnage Is A 'Love Story' Between Man And Alien Goo Monster, Says Director Andy Serkis

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is set to hit theaters in a matter of weeks. It will serve as a sequel to 2018's "Venom," the critically-maligned but massively successful (from a commercial standpoint) Marvel Comics adaptation. Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock alongside his symbiote counterpart — and director Andy Serkis ("Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle") is calling their new shared adventure a "love story."

Serkis, who is taking over for Ruben Fleischer in the director's chair this time around, made some interesting comments about Eddie and Venom's relationship in the production notes released by Sony (via ComicBook.com). The filmmaker, who is best known for his roles in the "Lord of the Rings" and "Planet of the Apes" movies, explained:

"The film is a love story – but not the love story you might think. It's very much about the extraordinary relationship between symbiote and host. Any love affair has its pitfalls, its high points and low points; Venom and Eddie's relationship absolutely causes problems and stress, and they have a near-hatred for each other. But they have to be with each other – they can't live without each other. That's companionship – love – the things that relationships are really about."

That is a lot to process. If you like "Venom," this might intrigue you. If you hated "Venom," this might make you groan as though you just wrapped up an afternoon at a cheap buffet. Either way, a movie featuring Carnage (played by Woody Harrelson), one of the most ruthless and evil characters in the Marvel Comics universe, as the villain is apparently going to be all about love. And not love between Eddie Brock and Anne Weying (Michelle Williams). The love between a man and some space goo. A tale as old as time.

Whatever the story may be, "Venom 2" became all but inevitable mere days after the first movie hit theaters in 2018. Sony Pictures still controls the rights to Spider-Man and his vast universe of supporting characters. So, even though the studio has a deal in place with Disney that allows Spider-Man to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is also exploring other characters in the hopes of creating standalone franchises. "Venom" was the first through the wall, and it demolished expectations.

Despite taking it on the chin from critics, the film grossed a staggering $856 million worldwide. That is a little more than "Thor: Ragnarok," for the sake of comparison. As such, a sequel was given the green light in a hurry. Its release date has been shifted several times, but that had more to do with the coronavirus pandemic than the movie itself. Several other Spider-Man spin-offs are also on the way, including "Morbius" starring Jared Leto and "Kraven the Hunter" starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is set to hit theaters on October 1, 2021.