Animated Venom Film in the Works at Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation is developing an animated Venom feature, bringing the studio’s most commercially successful Spider-Man villain franchise into a new format for the first time. The project is in early development, with Final Destination: Bloodlines filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein attached to direct, according to reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.
The move shifts Venom away from the live-action trilogy that began in 2018 with Tom Hardy as journalist Eddie Brock, who becomes host to an alien symbiote. That first film earned more than $856 million worldwide and established the character as the strongest performer among Sony’s Spider-Man-related villain properties. Two sequels followed in 2021 and 2024, though each posted lower global totals than the original.
While the directors’ involvement reflects Sony’s interest in filmmakers who have successfully revived established franchises, the larger development is the transition to animation itself. Sony Pictures Animation has built a reputation for stylistic experimentation through its Spider-Verse films, which expanded the visual language of superhero storytelling and earned major awards recognition. Placing Venom within that division opens the door to a different visual and tonal approach than the grounded live-action trilogy.
No writer is currently attached, and the studio is reportedly assembling a writers' room to develop story ideas. Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach, who produced the live-action films, are expected to return in some capacity. Hardy is also understood to be involved, though it remains unclear whether that role would include producing, voicing the character, or both.
For audiences less familiar with the character’s history, Venom originated in Marvel Comics in 1988’s Amazing Spider-Man No. 300. Created by writer Bill Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, the character began as a villain before evolving into a fan favorite anti-hero with his own solo comic run. His journey from comic book antagonist to blockbuster lead illustrates how studios increasingly extend popular characters across formats to maintain cultural relevance.
Animation allows studios to reimagine scale, tone, and world-building without the physical and production constraints of live-action filmmaking. It also signals that Sony continues to treat Venom as a core piece of its broader Spider-Man adjacent strategy, even as the superhero market evolves.
No release date, plot details, or confirmed cast have been announced.
