Movies

'Venom 2' Will Be Shot By Cinematographer Robert Richardson

venom 2 cinematographer
By Chris Evangelista

It's becoming apparent that unlike the first Venom, Venom 2 is going to at least try to be a good movie. Andy Serkis has been brought in to direct, and now master cinematographer Robert Richardson has come on board as well. Richardson's credits include JFK, Casino, and all of Quentin Tarantino's movies from Kill Bill onward (except Death Proof). You can rest assured that no matter how Venom 2 turns out, it's going to look amazing. 

I'll admit I'm genuinely stunned by this news. Robert Richardson is the last person I'd imagine shooting Venom 2, but according to THR, that's exactly what's happening. Let's take a look at some of Richardson's films, shall we?

  • JFK
  • Natural Born Killers
  • Casino
  • Bringing Out the Dead
  • Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
  • The Aviator
  • Inglourious Basterds
  • Shutter Island
  • Hugo
  • Django Unchained
  • The Hateful Eight
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

    • And now...Venom 2. What makes Richardson so unique is his approach to lighting a scene. He's genuinely not concerned with "realistic" lighting. Meaning: he doesn't light a scene with the goal of making it look like natural light. Instead, he brings his own approach to the material. One of his trademarks is extremely bright light overhead pointing straight down. While Richardson has his own style, he also aims to adapt to whatever the filmmaker he's working with is looking for. "I try to bend and be a chameleon towards what the director is looking for," Richardson once said of his work. "I think equipment is vital for all filmmakers. All filmmakers should have the opportunity to use film, whether that's Super 8, 16, 35, or 65, or to use small cameras such as an iPhone to create an entire film, or to work with the Alexa or the Red. It doesn't matter. I think all these are tools to create and they're all vital. The more we have, the better and well-rounded we'll be as filmmakers."

    Tom Hardy will return for Venom 2, and so will Michelle Williams. A post-credit scene of the first film set up Woody Harrelson and his terrible wig as Carnage, so you can probably expect that character to appear as well. Just imagine how cool that shitty wig will look when it's shot by Robert Richardson. The fact that Richardson was announced so soon after director Andy Serkis was hired indicates Sony is moving fast on this sequel, likely to make sure it's ready for 2020.

    For a better illustration of what makes Robert Richardson so special, check out the video below.

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