Zombieland 2 Director Ruben Fleischer Reveals Why He Turned Down Venom 2

When Sony Pictures released their first Spider-Man spinoff movie focusing on the lethal protector with the heart of gold in Venom, the results were a resounding success as the film went on to become a box office hit. This emboldened Sony's stance that they could create spinoff movies without the Wall Crawler appearing on screen, causing them to fast-track a sequel that's set to release next year. But there will be a major change behind the scenes as director Ruben Fleischer will not return for the sequel, instead replaced by mo-cap legend Andy Serkis.

Fleischer spoke on the ReelBlend podcast to promote his latest film Zombieland: Double Tap, revealing why he ultimately decided not to return for Venom 2.

"I was busy getting this movie done," Fleischer admitted. "I think they're already shooting that film. And I just finished this a couple weeks ago. So the schedule didn't allow it."

Fleischer's focus on the Zombieland sequel paved the way for Serkis to take over as director of Venom 2, and he's already hard at work on the movie to get ready for its premiere in less than a year's time.

"I'm right in the beginning stages, so I've got some very clear ideas about the journey, [and what] I'd like to see visually, and how we can take the characters into another direction," Serkis explained at the Television Critics Association event earlier this year.

"I'm excited to work with all the great actors who are involved. It's a fantastic franchise," he added. "I'm really honored to have been asked to direct it. And it feels like it's a very, again, very contemporary story. And it's I think it's going to be, hopefully, a story piece of cinema."

There have been a lot of questions about the future of the Venom franchise especially with Marvel Studios' ongoing deal with Sony Pictures getting revived. Fleischer himself indicated that Spider-Man's appearance in the Venom movies is inevitable.

"That's where it's all going to lead," Fleischer told Fandom. "And that's the exciting thing, because we changed the origin of Venom … in the comics, he evolved from Spider-Man but because of the Marvel-Sony thing we weren't able to that. And so the thing I think it's building towards, and will be exciting to see, is when they actually do confront each other."

Zombieland: Double Tap premieres in theaters this weekend.

Venom 2 is currently scheduled to premiere on October 2, 2020.