Comics
Sony Producers Say Carnage Doesn’t Need to Be R-rated; ‘Morbius’ is Next
Whether you think the film is good or bad, Sony/Columbia Pictures’ Venom is a mega-hit. It didn’t come without its problems, which really started when news hit that the studio would force a PG-13 out of what we all thought would be getting an R-rating. Interestingly, the biggest issues with the Spider-Man spinoff had nothing to do with the violence, but the sloppy filmmaking from the writing all the way to the post work.
Now that it’s a blockbuster, a sequel is inevitable. And for those who have seen the film (spoiler warning), it ends with the introduction of Woody Harrelson‘s Cletus Kasady, who will become Carnage. While Venom slowly became an antihero in the Marvel comics, Carnage was way more vicious. The homicidal maniac is a serial killer that’s bonded with a symbiote, which makes him way more deadly than Venom. How do you raise the stakes in a Venom sequel with Carnage if we can’t even see Venom biting off someone’s head?
It’s easy to get ahead of ourselves and declare this a problem – shit, I’m doing it right now – but from a business perspective, it makes sense to keep these PG-13, especially when they’re all set to live within Spider-Man‘s universe.
Sony producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach explain their thought process to Collider and while it does feel excuse-heavy, they make some sense. It’s also hard to disagree with them when Venom just absorbed all the money in the box office this past weekend (if it had failed, we’d be having a very different conversation right now).
When grated with another question about a potential R-rated Marvel film at Sony, Arad exclaimed, “Again, what I said to you before, it depends on the story. If the success of the story depends on being R-rated…” Tolmach interjects, “Then it could be, yeah.”
“Then, of course, we can do it,” adds Arad. “But at least for me, I have grandkids, kids, whatever, all these things, and some of these movies, they’re dying to see. You know? As I took my grandson, seven, to the recording session of Venom. And he had the time of his life.”
Tolmach adds: “I don’t think there’s a rule written somewhere in stone that all of them have to be one thing, alright? I think what Avi’s saying is right. I think we’ve all talked about, ‘Well, if one of these presents itself in a way…’ Look, we have all seen, as you’ve said, the R-rated versions of these movies now working. So, that’s out there. You can succeed to a staggering degree.”
They make note that it’s important not to compromise the character. I think it’s debatable what they did with Venom, but then again it does work fine without him being as on-screen violent. With that said, they claim Carnage’s backstory isn’t one that needs an R-rating, even though he’s a murderer.
“You know what? When you hear Venom…forget Venom. When you hear, Carnage, the only thing you can think of is R,” explains Arad. “But, if you know his story, if you really know the comic, there’s no R here. He’s a tortured soul. It’s not about what he does, because we never have to show the knife going from here to there, and the blood is pouring. What you have to show is, what is the motivation? Was he born like that, or it’s someone we should feel for, because if you are succeeding to make a villain someone you can feel for, jackpot.”
I dunno, man.
Digressing, Venom 2 is a long way out, but next up is Morbius, the “Living Vampire” who will be played by Jared Leto. The duo confirms that’s it’s next and will be shooting around February of 2019.
In the film, Leto is playing a scientist who, in trying to find a cure for a rare blood disease, accidentally transforms himself into a living vampire. Though disgusted by his own bloodlust, he chooses to prey upon criminals he deems unworthy of life.
Safe House director Daniel Espinosa will bring the Living Vampire to life.
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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