3 Minutes
Sony turns Venom into an animated project
Sony Pictures is quietly moving Venom into the animation world. According to industry reports, the studio has tapped directors Zack Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein—best known for reinvigorating the Final Destination franchise with Bloodlines—to lead the studio's first animated Venom feature. The project is in very early development, but the change in medium suggests Sony is looking to refresh the antihero for new audiences and creative possibilities.
What we know so far
Producers who helped shepherd Sony’s live-action Venom movies—Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach—are expected to be involved again. There's also talk that Tom Hardy, who made Eddie Brock and Venom his own in the live-action trilogy, will participate in some capacity; whether that's as a voice actor or a producer remains unconfirmed. Sony Animation is reportedly assembling a writers' room, so the script stage could still take months or longer.
Why animation could work for Venom
Animation allows a very different approach to tone, visual design, and world-building. After the critical and cultural success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, studios see animation as a way to expand comic-book properties beyond live-action constraints. For Venom—an alien symbiote with grotesque, kinetic visuals—animation offers freedom to push style, horror, and humor in equal measure without the same budgetary or VFX barriers of a photoreal film.
This will likely be compared to Spider-Verse’s bold graphic style and to Sony’s live-action Venom series, which earned major box-office returns (the 2018 film grossed over $850 million worldwide) but saw diminishing returns with its sequels. The animated route could be a strategic reset to recapture fan excitement and reach younger viewers.
Creative risks and fan expectations
Fans are already divided online—some excited about a new Venom interpretation, others cautious about franchise fatigue. The biggest questions are tonal: Will the animated Venom skew family-friendly, or aim for edgier, R-rated horror-comedy like the live-action films? Lipovsky and Stein's knack for fast-paced genre filmmaking could tilt the project toward kinetic thrills and dark humor, but the final creative decisions will shape audience reception.
Behind the scenes, Sony’s investment in an animation writers' room signals this is not a quick spin-off. With no finished script and casting still open, a release—if greenlit—could be years away. For now, the development is an intriguing chapter in Sony’s ongoing effort to expand its Spider-Man-adjacent universe.
Short note: this adaptation could either reinvigorate Venom as a character for new generations or join other experiments that reframe comic-book icons—either way, it’s a development worth watching for fans of animation and superhero cinema.
Leave a Comment