Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy (Dunkirk, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road) stars as dedicated journalist Eddie Brock, in Columbia Pictures’ new action-thriller Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters.

At the center of Venom is not one but two antiheroes in one body: Eddie – the ego-driven, obsessive reporter driven to expose the powerful and corrupt – and Venom, the chilling alien symbiote with incredible superpowers who fuses with Eddie. Together, they are capable of anything – a terrifying proposition as Venom is fueled by rage. In a truly symbiotic relationship, they will influence each other, for better or worse…

When director Ruben Fleischer – a Sony Pictures success story with his cult hit Zombieland — took the helm as Venom’s director, the producers knew they had someone with a full grip on how Marvel’s most badass character could make for a rip-roaring movie unlike any other. But the Venom filmmakers also realized that it would take a talented actor to straddle both the personalities of Venom and Eddie Brock.

They got more than they hoped for when critically acclaimed actor Tom Hardy – the man behind some of the most complicated characters in modern film – signed on to star.

Fleischer sees Hardy as a man of the moment, an actor of his time. Says Fleischer, “Tom is one of the all-time great actors, just so inherently talented and captivating on film. He’s a real movie star, and he is in his prime right now, firing on all cylinders, and brings so much to every look, every moment, every detail, every word.”

Fleischer continues, “He’s just really inspiring. And I think everybody on the crew is just fully invested in how he’s chosen to realize Eddie Brock. And on top of all that, Tom is hilarious, and that was exactly what we needed to bring Venom to life for moviegoers.”

Hardy says that the idea of symbiosis – needing each other to survive – is built into the characters of Eddie and Venom. “There was a lot of range to play within the psychological dynamics of this superhero movie,” he says. “And I found that to be exciting because it is multi-personality; one is a human character and the other is an alien. I get to play opposite a seven-foot-tall creature. And Eddie Brock has to handle that living inside him. The two of them have a union in one. ‘We are Venom,’ is their mantra.”

Hardy was especially excited about playing this particular character. “Venom is cool, man – he’s a badass. My son was telling me all about him – he loves Venom. He’s is a great character to play because Venom is ruthless and, basically, there are no rules. He’s so complex.”

Venom’s beginnings are the kind every comic creator dreams of: the brash introduction that sparks its own expansive life, thrilling fans every step of the way. Since his first full appearance thirty years ago in The Amazing Spider-Man comic book issue #300, Venom’s supervillain persona has become one of the most intriguing and entertaining for Marvel’s dedicated readers.

Initially Venom was portrayed in the Spider-Man comic books as the kind of terrifying antagonist readers would be afraid of, but the opposite happened. Fans fell in love with this outspoken and quirky anti-hero: enormous fangs, merciless mindset and all. Between the arresting look, freaky origins, and dark/light themes, people were hooked, and a fan base was born, driving the character’s own eponymous series and becoming one of the most popular characters in Marvel history. Now, the character comes to the big screen in his own film.

Opening in Philippine cinemas Thursday, October 4, Venom is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

About Venom

One of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters takes center stage as Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) becomes the host for the alien symbiote Venom. As a journalist, Eddie has been trying to take down the notorious Life Foundation scientist Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) for years – an obsession that ruined his career and his relationship with his girlfriend, Anne (Michelle Williams). When one of Drake’s experiments – the alien Venom – merges with Eddie’s body, he suddenly has incredible new superpowers, and the chance to do just about whatever he wants. Twisted, dark, unpredictable, and fueled by rage, Venom leaves Eddie wrestling to control dangerous abilities that he also finds empowering and intoxicating. As Eddie and Venom need each other to get what they’re looking for, they become more and more intertwined — where does Eddie end and Venom begin?