Sony Taps Gary Ross for 'Venom'

Back at the end of September I reported on Sony mulling over two "Venom" scripts penned by Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Well it seems they weren't too impressed by the duo's work. Variety reports today that Sony is tapping Gary Ross to write and direct an origin story following Venom. Read all the details below...


Gary Ross is currently finishing writing "Spider-Man 4" for Sam Raimi. When he finishes the fourth installment of the New York webslinger, word is the director of Seabiscuit will begin working on "Venom". The plan is to start fresh throwing out anything that was setup in Spider-Man 3 which starred Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom. That would mean that Sony intends on re-casting the role as well.

I have wondered how Sony would handle Venom's character considering his origin was told in Spider-Man 3, but starting from scratch could definitely work to their advantage. Most Spidey and Venom fans hated Spider-Man 3 and would openly welcome a different take on Venom (as would I). As for hiring Gary Ross to write it, I am not so sure. He is penning the fourth Spider-Man film so he will have a working knowledge of the characters, but up until now Ross has mainly stuck with drama or comedies, so faith is a little light until we see how Ross fares under the guise of superheroes. Stayed tuned for more details on "Venom" as they develop...

What say you? Does Ross sound like the right fit for Venom? Strikeback...