Venom Script Turned In To Sony; Movie Still Kicking

A lot of people want a Venom movie. Makes sense, I guess; he's fanged, evil, oozing, looks great on screen. While villains that are so specifically the mirror image of a hero don't do a lot for me, I see why people like the character. Sony likes the character because anything that can spin off from the success of Spider-Man is a good thing. The studio has been looking into making a Venom flick for a while, and they've now got a new draft in hand from the current writers. Where does that leave the movie?

Sci-Fi Wire talked to Zombieland co-writer Paul Wernick, who with his Zombieland writing partner Rhett Reese has been working on a new version of Venom for Sony. "We've written two drafts of Venom, and the studio has it, and they're pushing forward in whatever ways they push forward," Wernick tells the site. Doesn't seem like there's any way this can move forward before Spider-Man 4, but if nothing else let's hope that Sony is looking to emulate the work going on over at Marvel Studios. If Sony is smart, they're looking at Spidey 4 and Venom as connected, complimentary movies; whichever comes first should have repercussions in the other film.

But what story do you write for Venom? As Peter mentioned when he covered the potential spin-off ages ago, I never saw much reason to read solo Venom stories. I like the idea of a big studio comic book movie based around a villain, but unless Venom starts to act like Spider-Man, there are only so many stories to write without bringing in the actual hero. Aside from Eddie Brock, the version of the character seen in Spider-Man 3, there's Scorpion, who later became a host for the alien parasite that creates Venom. Telling his story would be interesting, but again, how to do it without bringing in Spider-Man, in which case you've no longer got a spin-off?

Whatever disinterest I have in the character is balanced by curiosity about Wernick and Reese. They've done stuff I'd just as soon forget (The Joe Schmo Show) but every creative talent can develop, and I had a great time with Zombieland. Granted, some of what I like about the film is that it is brief (88 minutes) and direct; about 45 minutes of material was chopped. It could have all been crap, but given the quality of the rest of the film, I'd be surprised. I'm really curious to know what they've come up with for this script, so any moles at Sony are welcome to sent it my way.