Tom Hardy Might've Just Confirmed Andy Serkis is Directing 'Venom 2'

Following the breakout success of last year’s Venom, fans have turned their attention to any possible news about a sequel to the film. This week, a spot of news may have emerged, with star Tom Hardy potentially confirming that Andy Serkis will direct Venom 2.

The apparent confirmation came in a now-deleted Instagram post, according to ScreenRant, with Hardy posting a black-and-white photo of Serkis along with a spade emoji (commonly used on Hardy’s Instagram) and a fire emoji. Although Hardy removed the post from his Instagram shortly after posting it, it has been captured in screenshots by a number of outlets.

Many have interpreted the announcement as a premature confirmation that Serkis, the motion-capture star of films such as The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars: The Force Awakens and director of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, would be directing the next Venom film. Previously, Serkis had reportedly been involved in negotiations with Sony to helm the film, but, until now, there had been little additional information on the status of these discussions.

Venom 2 is expected to be written by Venom screenwriter Kelly Marcel, and will, per the post-credits scene of the first film, feature Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kassady--also known as Carnage, another symbiote-bonded supervillain.

Whether this Instagram post is definitive confirmation, we can’t say for certain--but we’ll keep an eye on any more news about Serkis or Venom 2.