Sony has delayed a number of summer movies because of the coronavirus outbreak, including its Marvel film Morbius, which likely means that Venom 2 is going to be pushed back as well. Starring Jared Leto as the titular living vampire, Morbius was supposed to be the next entry in Sony’s Marvel Universe. Initially set for a July 31, 2020 release date, Morbius has now been delayed to March 19, 2021, and that could have a knock-on effect on the studio’s other big comic book movie release of 2020.
Alongside Morbius, Sony also had plans to debut Venom 2 this year. While a release date was never made official, it’s long been expected that Venom 2 will hit theaters on October 2, 2020, which Sony have staked out for an “Untitled Sony/Marvel Sequel”, leaving little room for it to be anything other than the sequel to 2018’s Venom, especially since the Tom Hardy movie has already started production. However, with Morbius being delayed alongside a number of Sony’s other 2020 films due to the impact of the coronavirus, things don’t look good for Venom 2.
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At this point, it feels inevitable that Venom 2 will be delayed as well. Unlike Venom 2, Morbius had already started its marketing campaign, which emphasized that original July 2020 release date. If Sony was willing to make such a drastic release date shift for a title with marketing like Morbius, which strongly showcased its MCU connections to hype it up even more, then Venom 2, which hasn’t even released so much as an official promo image, is surely going to get moved as well.
The likelihood of Venom 2’s delay can also be chalked up to factors beyond ones connected to Morbius. Venom 2 started filming in November 2019, before having its production shut down in March 2020 with filming yet to be completed. Principal photography, as well as post-production elements like VFX work, are still in need of finishing. Getting that done under the current conditions of the coronavirus epidemic is next to impossible. Rushing that to make a date Sony never even officially committed to could only result in disaster. Considering all of that, it’s unlikely Venom 2 is going to be completed in six months’ time to make that projected October 2, 2020 release date.
Why then did Sony fail to register a new Venom 2 release date alongside Morbius? Sony is likely waiting to see what kind of new production schedule Venom 2 will require before committing itself to a release date. Morbius only had a few months left of post-production, which made it easier to pencil into a new date. Venom 2, on the other hand, has to account for the still-in-flux filming schedules of big-name actors like Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams.
On top of that, there are still a number of uncertainties around the coronavirus and how long the current impact will go on for. It makes sense for Sony to move movies from Summer release dates, but the picture for October is far muddier, so there’s no need for major decisions there just yet. Further complicating matters is that Morbius and Venom 2 are part of the same universe: while nothing has been revealed, there could be links between the two necessitating Morbius releases first. All of these factors make it trickier to figure out a new release date at this juncture. Though it hasn’t penciled in a new launch date yet, a delay for Venom 2 is almost certain after Morbius was pushed back.
- Morbius (2021)Release date: Mar 19, 2021
