According to Andy Serkis, Venom 2 was given a slim running time to make the sequel a fast-paced “thrill ride” without spending too much time on exposition.

Director Andy Serkis has confirmed Venom‘s seemingly short playtime and has also explained the reason behind it. It has recently been reported that the upcoming Venom sequel will be 90 minutes long, making it the shortest Marvel film to date. That’s 22 minutes shorter than the original, and given that most superhero movies nowadays regularly exceed two hours in length, it seems that Venom won’t have nearly as much time to linger before getting into action.

As it turns out, that was the plan all along. Serkis has recently revealed more details about Venom’s 90-minute runtime: there should be bloodshed all the way through and at a fast pace. Serkis felt that the best way for the Venom sequel to work was to forgo the typical exposition and other moments that add to the running time so that the film could remain a tightly paced thrill ride throughout. As Serkis told IGN:

“It’s always been [leaner]. We always wanted to keep it a fast, muscular [film]… we didn’t mess around too much with the exposition. But once we decided to do that, I think we achieved a real balance between having an action-packed story and also having enough of a character to immerse ourselves in them, not just rushing through to the next battle or action scene.”

Tom Hardy is much more into this sequel, having spent a lot of time with screenwriter Kelly Marcel fleshing out the story. He’s already thinking about the future, as he has early ideas for Venom 3. The third film won’t be greenlit until Sony sees how well the sequel does when it debuts in October, but it’s very encouraging that Hardy is technically signed on for three films.

A crossover with Spider-Man could also happen for Venom, as there have been many rumours of this inevitable reunion. In a Q&A with IGN, Andy Serkis also addressed the possibility and agreed that it was the “burning question” on everyone’s mind. Serkis, for his part, was forced to agree that a Venom/Spidey crossover is bound to happen at some point, but he wouldn’t want it to happen anytime soon so that other supervillains can have their moment first.

“Of course, it’s going to happen,” Serkis said. “Look, it depends on when you want to get to it, and it also depends on what the appetite is. If people want more Venom stories, you can skip so many great supervillain characters in between if they jump straight to Spider-Man. So in a sense, if you rush it, you might be closing the door on the possibility of a sequel.”

For now, fans can look forward to Tom Hardy’s return as Eddie Brock in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which hits theatres on October 1. Hardy is one of many Marvel actors rumoured to be in the December theatrical release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, but only time will tell if that will happen.

Source: IGN