Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

Venom
9/25/09 – SCI FI Wire reported that Sony is going forward with a Venom spinoff movie.  Zombieland co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have been tasked with penning the project.  Wernick confirmed that the project is still moving forward and the writing team has turned the script in to the suits at 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 said.  So when might Venom be going into production? "We're not sure,  we've turned in our two drafts," said Wernick.  A Venom movie might happen even before Spider-Man 4, but that now appears unlikely. The latest rumors have Spidey 4 shooting in early 2010. When asked about the relationship between the two movies, Wernick was tight-lipped. "We can't really talk about that, unfortunately," the writer said. "Basically, the studio and Marvel and the Arads are taking our drafts and going beyond and figuring out what's the next step."

4/9/09 - Sony is officially moving forward with its Spider-Man spinoff movie focusing on Venom and has hired Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese to pen the script.  "We had a really great relationship with Sony on Zombieland, and so that was a nice in for us there," Reese said.  Already working on the script, they are sworn to secrecy on the details. "We're under strict orders on Venom," Wernick said. "We can't talk about it. It's just super secret."  Wernick and Reese said they are big fans of the comic character and have recently been doing their research to ensure that they do justice to him. "We read Venom growing up, but we were not experts," Reese said. "We certainly know the mythology of Venom, but went back and learned more when it became clear that we could actually get this job."

8/1/08 - Sony is moving forward with Venom, a potential Spider-Man spinoff movie based on one of the villains from the third Spidey movie.  The studio is developing the project, based on the alien nemesis who appeared in Spider-Man 3; Sony is hoping the character could serve as an antidote to the aging Spider-Man franchise in the way that Fox has used Wolverine to add longevity to its X-Men franchise.  Sony is developing a fourth Spider-Man film for 2011, but that picture would come out nine years after the original movie debuted, adding to the studio's desire to see new Marvel characters.

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