Woody Harrelson Joins the Cast of Venom

Woody Harrelson has secured a role in the upcoming Venom movie. Harrelson, who seems to have the superhuman ability to be on multiple sets at once, is reported to have joined the cast. Sources told Variety that details about the role are sparse, but it is likely to be a henchmen type character.

Actor Andy Serkis, a pioneer of motion capture performance, spilled the beans earlier this year that Tom Hardy would be utilizing the technology in Venom’s title role. Harrelson has plenty of experience playing the live action villain on a motion capture set. He squared off against Serkis as the bloodthirsty Colonel in the much lauded War of the Planet of the Apes earlier this year.

Harrelson is a late addition as production has begun and the film is set for an October release. Along with Hardy, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Riz Ahmed, Reid Scott, and Scott Haze have already signed on. Ruben Fleischer, who worked with Harrelson on Zombieland, is directing the film.

2017 was a busy year for Harrelson as he appeared in five films and will also be in the upcoming Lucasfilm production of Solo. Harrelson immersed himself in the role of former President Johnson in LBJ and his performance as Willoughby in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is in the mix among award season chatter.

Plot details and set images for Venom are being kept under tight wraps, but as we round the corner into the New Year, promotional images should begin to appear. None of the roles beyond Hardy as Venom’s alter ego Eddie Brock have been confirmed. Venom first appeared in Marvel comics in the late 1980s as a nemesis to Spider-Man, but the symbiotic alien has evolved over time into an antihero.

Venom is currently set for release on October 5, 2018.

Featured Image: Woody Harrelson arrives at the closing ceremony of the 43rd Deauville American Film Festival on September 9, 2017 in Deauville, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)