Jenny Slate joins Tom Hardy in Spider-Man spinoff 'Venom'

By Justin Kroll, Variety

Jenny Slate is in negotiations to join Tom Hardy in Sony’s Venom movie.

Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed are also on board with Ruben Fleischer directing. Sony had no comment on the casting.

Sources say Slate will play a scientist in the film.

Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji) and Jeff Pinkner (The Dark Tower) will write the script for Venom, with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing the movie, along with Amy Pascal. Palak Patel and Eric Fineman are overseeing the project for Columbia Pictures.

The studio has made it clear that Venom will play no part in the Spider-Man universe that kicked off with Spider-Man: Homecoming, starring Tom Holland, this past summer. “Venom” is set to hit theaters on Oct. 5, 2018.

Since its inception in 1988, the alien symbiote Venom has been one of Spider-Man’s most popular characters, making the film a top priority for Sony. Venom made his first big-screen appearance in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, where he was portrayed by Topher Grace.

Slate has already shown her range in 2017, jumping from dramas like Gifted to lighthearted dramedies like Aardvark and The Polka King. She recently starred in Landline for Amazon, reteaming with Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm, the filmmakers behind her 2014 comedy Obvious Child.

She just wrapped production on Drew Pearce’s Hotel Artemis opposite Jodie Foster and Sofia Boutella and lent her voice to Illumination’s Secret Life of Pets 2.

She is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

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