Comics
R-rated ‘Venom’ Adds Some Comic Relief in Jenny Slate
Jenny Slate is more than just a comedy actress but her strengths are that she can lighten the mood and bring the energy up in a room. Sony’s “R”-rated Venom is going to be dark and horrific, like a John Carpenter movie, so it makes a lot of sense to add someone who can offer the audience some room to breathe. It’s unclear how prominent her role is, but Slate is said to be playing a scientist in the Spider-Man spinoff film that will also feature Marvel villain Carnage.
Variety also recently reported that Michelle Williams is in talks to star alongside Tom Hardy as a district attorney and possibly love interest of Hardy’s character, Eddie Brock, who becomes the title character. Rogue One‘s Riz Ahmed is also in talks for the film slated for release on Oct. 5, 2018.
[Related] How to Make the Perfect ‘Venom’ Movie – Hint, Make it Horror
Zombieland‘s Ruben Fleischer is directing Venom, which shoots this fall.
Sony is spinning a web around a new Spider-Man universe. With Spider-Man Homecoming‘s villain being Vulture (Michael Keaton), the studio is focusing on several spinoffs including Kraven the Hunter and Mysterio, not to mention the already announced Silver & Black, featuring characters Silver Sable and Black Cat.
The idea, says a studio source, is to build out a world gradually rather than launch one immediately, as they had been trying with Spider-Man villain ensemble Sinister Six.
As Variety notes, Slate has already shown her range in 2017, jumping from dramas like Gifted to lighthearted dramedies like Aardvark and The Polka King. She recently starred in “Landline” for Amazon, reteaming with Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm, the filmmakers behind her 2014 comedy Obvious Child.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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