'Venom' Sequel Confirmed, Kelly Marcel Returning To Write, But Ruben Fleischer Won't Direct

After Venom raked in over $855 million worldwide, there was no way Sony Pictures would pass on a sequel to the wildly successful Spider-Man spin-off. So it comes as no surprise that the studio is moving forward with plans for a Venom sequel, and they're bringing back Kelly Marcel, one of the original film's writers, to pen the script and executive produce. But director Ruben Fleischer won't be returning to direct since he'll be busy at the helm of another sequel, Zombieland 2. What about the cast?

Find out what we know about the Venom sequel so far.

Variety has word on the Venom sequel, which will bring back Tom Hardy in the lead role as investigative journalist Eddie Brock, a man who found himself infected with a symbiote creature that allows him to turn into a strong, slimy, flesh-hungry creature known as Venom.

Also returning for the Venom sequel will be Michelle Williams as Anne Weying, the ex-girlfriend of Eddie Brock who is unaware that the symbiote is still attached to him at the end of the movie. Will these two be getting back together in the follow-up, or will she just be a small part of Eddie's life? Is there any chance we'll see She-Venom make an appearance again?

Finally, Woody Harrelson is on board for the sequel after making a surprise appearance in the post-credits scene as Cletus Kasady, the serial killer who Eddie meets for an interview in prison. In the comics, Kasady becomes another symbiote enhanced character named Carnage, one of Venom's most deadly foes.

Kelly Marcel was one of three writers on the first Venom along with Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, but she'll be going solo for this writing gig. She's no stranger to adapting highly scrutinized material since she previously worked on the script for Fifty Shades of Grey. Does that mean this sequel could lean into the romance between Venom and Eddie? That's something I can get behind fully. Honestly, I just want the movie to embrace the weird side of itself much more than it did the first time around. It might make the proceedings a little more tolerable.

As for who will replace director Ruben Fleischer, Sony Pictures hasn't yet hired anybody. But producers Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal will be back to (hopefully) make sure that goes smoothly.