When it comes to making any superhero movie successful, it’s important for the filmmakers involved to find the proper tone appropriate for the character occupying the spotlight. In many cases, directors have achieved the right formula, but there are some hiccups from time to time. Let’s not forget how Warner Bros. once thought every DC-related flick following The Dark Knight Trilogy had to be just as dark, or Marvel Studios adding in comedic elements in places they just don’t fit.
From the look of it, Ruben Fleischer has a solid grip on Venom, even if he’s been tasked with assembling something that can’t (or won’t) include Spider-Man. Either way, I’m left impressed by each successive trailer finding its way online.
Hot on the heels of treating us to a few more stills taken from the movie in question, Entertainment Weekly caught up with Fleischer, who happened to draw a very good parallel between the titular character and one of Hollywood’s oldest monsters:
“We talked a lot about a werewolf and what it is when you get infected or bit by a werewolf.”
In my view, that’s a very good way to approach the dynamic, something the director expanded upon with this other quote:
“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.”
Fortunately, portraying Venom as being more heroic isn’t anything new, so at least Fleischer and lead actor Tom Hardy won’t be the first to examine Eddie Brock from this perspective. Originally, the guy was much more villainous in the comics, but Marvel had to eventually “hero him up,” as Kevin Smith once put it, when the character’s popularity boomed.
Venom arrives in theaters on October 5th.