Comics
Tom Hardy Says His Favorite Scenes Were Cut From ‘Venom’!
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, no?
Originally announced as an R-rated project, Sony Pictures’ Venom has slowly become a PG-13 that the filmmakers claim “push the limits” of the rating. As a lifelong fan of the comic character, I’m trying my best to accept this truth and be open to the idea that Sony just wants the film to appeal to a broader audience. It’s a business first and foremost, and it’s hard to blame Sony for wanting to tap into the Spider-Man audience, which is predominantly teens. As for “pushing the limits” of a PG-13, I know that, at times, there’s truth in this statement. It’s quite possible that director Ruben Fleischer did, in fact, have his cake and ate it too. Maybe, just maybe, Fleischer’s version of a R-rating ended up being PG-13? I’m willing to give them all the benefit of the doubt. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that this is all politics and that behind the scenes everyone is steaming from their ears.
Everyone is putting on their best smile for the Venom junket, although Tom Hardy sounds like a man secretly frustrated. Is he grinning through his teeth? Here’s what he said when ComicsExplained asked about his favorite scene:
“Things that aren’t in this movie,” he replied.
“There are like 30 to 40 minutes worth of scenes that aren’t in this movie… all of them. Mad puppeteering scenes, dark comedy scenes. You know what I mean? They just never made it in.”
Obviously, it’s typical that a lot of a film is cut from the final product, especially when most blockbusters go under a series of reshoots, which Venom did. The question here isn’t as to if it’s a big deal that there are 30-40 minutes of lobotomized footage, it’s as to why? Especially if they’re Hardy’s favorite bits? It’s all a bit confusing.
As for the coveted rating, Collider reported back in March of 2017 that Venom will be rated R. They say the plan was for the film, scripted by Dante Harper (Alien: Covenant), to launch Sony’s own dark Marvel universe. It made a whole lot of sense with the major hits of Logan and Deadpool.
And while nobody part of production ever confirmed plans for an R rating, Columbia Pictures’ president Sanford Panitch raised eyebrows when he said that Venom will draw on the work of John Carpenter or David Cronenberg while promising “more pop and fun.”
“We only ever talked about this movie as being PG-13,” Fleisher told Comicbook.com.
“What I’ve said in the past is that we wanted to push the violence to the hilt. The Dark Knight was always a huge reference point for me, personally, just as far as how far you could take a PG-13.”
The film’s producer Matt Tolmach added: “Everyone is asking us that. Is there an R-rated cut sitting there? There isn’t. We came into this production and the development of the movie wanting to make a movie that was true to Venom, true to the comics, and true to the character, but at the same time is a movie that 13-year-olds, 14-year-olds can see.
“We had to push right up against it. We’re 15+ in England. It’s not like we just wanted to make a family film. We wanted to push it as hard as we could, but also to make it accessible. That was always the goal.”
It’s hard to know what the truth is, but all of the footage looks exemplary except for the lack of gore. Was there ever that much violence in Venom or was it all implied? This is hugely debatable and will cast a dark cloud over the film if it doesn’t deliver the goods this coming weekend. With that said, we’re getting a solo Venom movie in theaters. It’s hard to complain.
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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