With tickets for directorRuben Fleischer’sVenomnow on sale, the runtime and the rating for the film has been revealed and it’s 1 hr 52 minutes… and PG-13 – which should surprise no one. If Sony was going to pursue the R-rating for the anti-hero, they would have announced it when the film was being shot, the same wayDeadpooldid during production. Even though some held out hope we’d get a super violent and darkVenommovie for adults, I never believed that was happening for two reasons: Spider-Man and Marvel.
WhileVenomis going to exist outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that doesn’t mean he’s going to stay there forever. At some point, the Sony/Marvel deal that allows Spider-Man and the other members of the MCU to interact in each other’s movies might go away. If that were to happen, Sony would absolutely feature Venom and Spider-Man in a movie together and they’d make it happen as soon as a script was written.
The other reason to keepVenomPG-13 is to allow the option of bringing him into the MCU. While I haven’t heard Marvel wants that to happen, for Sony, why limit your options? The fact is you may’t create an ultra-violent, R-ratedVenomand then bring him into the MCU alongside, say, Ant-Man or the other Marvel characters. Making that kind ofVenommovie limits your options down the road, and when you think long term, PG-13 is the only option for the studio. In addition, withVenombeing PG-13, it’s a safe bet that every other film in theSpider-Mancinematic universe is also aiming for the kid-friendly rating.
While I’m sure this PG-13 rating is going to get plenty of Marvel fans debating what it means, I don’t think the rating really matters. I’ve seen plenty of PG-13 films that push the boundaries of what they can get away with on screen (The Dark Knightpencil scene, for example,) and I’ve also seen a ton of R-rated movies that should have been PG-13 (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunterand every movie with just two curse words). All I care about is ifVenomis any good. Because if the movie kicks ass, the only thing people will be talking about on October 5this when Sony will release the sequel.
Written byScott RosenbergandJeff Pinkner, andKelly MarcelandWill Beal,Venomopens October 5th and also starsMichelle Williams,Riz Ahmed,Scott Haze, andReid Scott.
Here’s the official logline forVenom:
One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award-nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.
