Lead
Sony Pictures is developing the studio’s first animated feature centered on Marvel’s anti-hero Venom, and has tapped directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to helm the project. The move follows the pair’s commercial and critical success with Final Destination: Bloodlines. Key producers who worked on the live-action Venom films are likely to be involved, though those roles remain unconfirmed. With no writer attached and animation still underway, the film remains in early development and is likely years from release.
Key Takeaways
- Sony Pictures Animation is developing a Venom animated feature with directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein attached.
- Tom Hardy is reported to be involved in some capacity, but whether he will return to voice Venom or serve as a producer is unconfirmed.
- No screenwriter is yet attached; Sony Pictures Animation has opened a writers room to develop scripts and ideas.
- Producers Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, who worked on the live-action Venom films, are likely to produce but roles are not finalized.
- The Venom live-action franchise grossed $856 million worldwide for 2018’s Venom, $506.8 million for 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and $478.9 million for 2024’s Venom: The Last Dance.
- Lipovsky and Stein recently directed Final Destination: Bloodlines, which earned approximately $315.0 million and became the franchise’s highest-grossing and best-reviewed entry.
- Animation offers creative flexibility and a pathway to refresh the Venom brand, but the production timeline and lack of a script mean the project could take several years to reach theaters.
Background
Venom first appeared in mainstream comics as an adversary in Amazing Spider-Man No. 300, created by writer Bill Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, and received a solo comic in 1993. The character later appeared on the big screen in Sam Raimi’s Amazing Spider-Man 3, portrayed by Topher Grace, before being reintroduced in a live-action franchise starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote.
The live-action Venom series launched commercially with 2018’s Venom, which earned $856 million worldwide and signaled strong mainstream interest in the character. Subsequent sequels saw diminishing returns at the global box office—$506.8 million in 2021 and $478.9 million in 2024—prompting studio strategists to explore new creative approaches to sustain the IP.
Sony Pictures Animation (SPA) has established a reputation for revitalizing comic-based properties in animation, most notably through the Spider-Verse films produced with Phil Lord and Chris Miller. That track record makes SPA a logical home for an animated Venom project, but animation’s long lead times and the need for a finished screenplay mean the initiative is at an early stage.
Main Event
Sony has recruited Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, the directing duo behind Final Destination: Bloodlines, to lead the Venom animated film. The pair earned industry attention for reinvigorating the Final Destination franchise, delivering its highest-grossing and best-reviewed installment in years. Their attachment signals Sony’s intent to pair franchise expertise with filmmakers who have recently succeeded at revitalizing legacy horror properties.
Studio veterans Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach—producers on the live-action Venom films—are likely to be involved as producers on the animated feature, although Sony has not finalized credits. Separately, Tom Hardy is reported to be involved in some capacity; whether that involvement includes voicing Venom or serving on the producing side has not been confirmed.
Sony Pictures Animation is assembling creative teams and has opened a writers room to generate scripts and story approaches for the project. With no writer publicly attached and the animation pipeline an inherently time-consuming process, executives and sources caution that the film is still conceptual and remote from an imminent production start.
Lipovsky and Stein remain in demand in Hollywood following Bloodlines: they have been linked to other studio projects and are represented by Verve, Ground Control and Lichter Grossman. Their commercial track record likely made them attractive candidates to lead a high-profile animated spin on a well-known character.
Analysis & Implications
Moving Venom to animation allows Sony to reframe the property visually and tonally without the physical constraints of live-action production. Animation can accommodate more extreme visual effects and body-horror elements inherent to Venom’s design, and it also opens possibilities for broader age-skewing or stylized storytelling that might differ from the live-action series.
From a business perspective, animation can extend franchise longevity through merchandising, streaming windows, and potential crossovers within an animated Spider-Verse. SPA’s previous success provides a template: critically acclaimed animated universes can attract awards, talent, and new audiences while reinvigorating licensed characters.
However, risks are material. The live-action films’ box office decline raises questions about sustained mainstream appetite, and animation’s lengthy development cycle creates a multiyear gap that could blunt momentum. If key attachments—most notably Tom Hardy—do not participate, the project could lose brand continuity with the live-action series and face marketing challenges.
Strategically, Sony appears to be balancing franchise stewardship with experimentation. Developing an animated Venom title enables the company to test different creative strategies for the IP while retaining the option to return to live-action installments or integrate animation into broader release plans.
Comparison & Data
| Title | Year | Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|---|
| Venom | 2018 | $856,000,000 |
| Venom: Let There Be Carnage | 2021 | $506,800,000 |
| Venom: The Last Dance | 2024 | $478,900,000 |
| Final Destination: Bloodlines | 2023 | $315,000,000 |
The table above summarizes reported global grosses for the recent Venom films and the directors’ prior hit. The data illustrate a downward trajectory in the Venom franchise’s box-office returns after the strong 2018 launch, while Lipovsky and Stein’s entry delivered notable box-office and critical upside for an older franchise. These trends likely informed Sony’s decision to explore an animated approach as a way to reset audience expectations.
Reactions & Quotes
Below are brief reported reactions and context drawn from industry reporting and box-office analysis.
Industry reporting has emphasized the project’s early-development status and the studio’s exploratory approach.
“Sony’s Venom franchise has a new final destination.”
The Hollywood Reporter (entertainment trade)
This line framed initial coverage, underscoring the studio’s shift toward animation and signaling that the franchise is being steered into a new creative format.
Coverage of talent attachments highlighted Lipovsky and Stein’s recent success with Final Destination: Bloodlines, which influenced Sony’s decision-making.
“Lipovsky and Stein reinvigorated a moribund Warners title, helming the first Final Destination movie in about 14 years to a $315.0 million gross.”
The Hollywood Reporter (entertainment trade)
Reporters pointed to that commercial performance as a key credential for the directors and a rationale for hiring filmmakers with franchise-revitalization experience.
Unconfirmed
- Whether Tom Hardy will reprise Venom as a voice actor or serve as a producer is not yet confirmed by the studio.
- The roles of Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are reported as likely but have not been officially finalized.
- No screenwriter has been publicly attached; any reported story directions remain speculative while the writers room forms.
Bottom Line
Sony’s decision to develop a Venom animated film with Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein represents a strategic attempt to refresh a high-profile but recently cooling franchise. Animation gives the studio creative latitude to reimagine the character’s visual language and potentially reach new audience segments while leveraging SPA’s production strengths.
Significant uncertainties remain: core credits are not finalized, no script is yet in place, and animation timelines suggest the film is several years from release. For now, the announcement functions as both a signal of intent to reinvest in the property and a reminder that execution, casting and marketing will determine whether this becomes a successful reboot or a long-gestating side project.
Sources
- The Hollywood Reporter — Entertainment trade; original reporting on the Venom animated project.
- Sony Pictures Animation — Official studio site; background on SPA and past animated Spider-Verse work (studio/official).