Following the news that upcoming Sony sequel Venom 2 will face another release delay, this time until January 2022, a conflicting report has now emerged claiming that this is far from the case. The report, which for the most part discusses the affect that Marvel's Spider-Man: No Way Home could have on the industry should it suffer further delays, states unequivocally that rumors Venom: Let There Be Carnage "will move further to 2022 are not true."

"The unprecedented enthusiasm is also a welcome sign for Sony Pictures, which is committed to an exclusive theatrical release for "No Way Home" on Dec. 17, despite recent less-than-blockbuster returns for theatrical releases as COVID cases continue to rise due to the delta variant. Sony recently pushed its other upcoming comic book feature, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, from September to October (although a studio insider says rumors the film will move further to 2022 are not true)."

Following on from 2018's Venom, which introduced audiences to Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist who becomes the host of an alien symbiote giving him a violent alter-ego, Venom: Let There Be Carnage picks up a year later, as Eddie Brock struggles to adjust to life as the host of the alien symbiote Venom, which grants him super-human abilities in order to be a lethal vigilante.

Brock attempts to reignite his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady, who becomes the host of the symbiote Carnage and escapes prison after a failed execution. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is directed by Andy Serkis from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel, and based on a story she wrote with Tom Hardy who reprises the dual role of both Eddie Brock and Venom alongside Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady AKA Carnage.

While the critical reception to the first outing for Venom was, putting it mildly, lukewarm, the movie did extremely well at the box office, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing movie of that year with over $856 million worldwide, and setting several box office records for an October release. Thus, the release of the sequel, which this time includes fan-favorite villain Carnage no less, is crucial for Sony. Not only in financial terms, but also with regards to Sony's Spider-Man Universe, which is still in its infancy and is soon to spawn big screen adventures for the likes of Morbius and Kraven the Hunter.

Of course, should Venom: Let There Be Carnage perform as well as the first outing, there will inevitably be more to come from Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock, with the actor recently revealing that his mind has already begun to ponder what Venom 3 might entail. "I'm thinking about the third movie as well, because I think you need to write that at the same time... A third won't be greenlit until the second is successful, but the studio were really, really pleased with number two," Hardy said.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on October 15, 2021, after being delayed from an initial October 2020 due to the ongoing circumstances. This comes to us from Variety.