Woody Harrelson Returning for Venom Sequel

Woody Harrelson is, in fact, returning to Venom 2. Though many had speculated on the fan-favorite's involvement in the highly-anticipated follow-up since a brief appearance in a Venom post-credits scene, the confirmation comes from Venom 2 cinematographer Robert Richardson. Richardson himself confirmed as much in a recent interview with Collider.

At one point, Richardson was reported to have been attached to Ben Affleck's The Batman, but left after Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes) took over. In the press fallout after the changing of the guard, Richardson admitted he wanted to board a superhero property at some point, which was the main point in drawing him to Sony's Venom sequel. In the same breath, Richardson made to sure point out Harrelson's involvement as a major plus to joining the production.

"I think it's unexplored yet, and it's going to explode, and this film, I think, will help it explode, because you have a remarkable central character with Venom," Richardson explains. "But now you've got Woody Harrelson, who's going to obviously make his own little entrance here, and we'll see what else comes in with the Sony Marvel collaboration."

Richardson also admits he's a big fan of Venom star Tom Hardy, saying the actor is always on the mark. "I look forward to it. It's a massive change for me, but I'm excited. I think Hardy is one of our best. He never misses. I so look forward to sitting with him and watching him perform," says Richardson.

Despite being panned by critics, Venom was a hit with fans. As of this writing, the Ruben Fleischer-directed outing has an 80 percent Fresh Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. Those same fans also let their money do the talking as the film was a hit commercially, raking in over $850 million worldwide, a whopping $642m of which came internationally.

Tonally, Richardson wouldn't let on much on what fans can expect although he did say the team plans on honoring the work done by Matt Libatique in the initial film — even to the point where fans can expect to see some familiar locations and set pieces. The cinematographer then revealed filmmaker Andy Serkis has already begun pre-production on the film and plans on joining his co-worker in September.

What'd you think of Harrelson's quick Venom cameo? Do you think we'll get any surprise appearances in Venom 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Venom 2 is scheduled for release on October 2, 2020.