A “Venom” Spin-Off Now Confirmed

According to Sci Fi Wire, the “Spider-Man” franchise is officially spawning a spin-off in what was once believed to be an Internet rumor.

Sony officially confirmed today that a “Venom” movie is in development and that “Zombieland” writers Paul Wernick and Rhet Reese are set to pen the script. But don’t expect to pry any information out of the writers as they are “Under strict orders on ‘Venom,'” and “can’t talk about it,” which according to Wernick is “super secret.”

Both Reese and Wernick are familiar with the Venom character and have read comic books featuring Venom growing up. As fans themselves, they are also immensely aware of the fan pressure and expectation typically associated with ambitious projects such as a “Venom” spin-off.

“I’m terrified,” Reese laughed. “It’s source material that everybody knows and everybody’s familiar with and everybody loves. There’s a burden on you to meet the expectations of people. A lot of people are curious about Venom.”

For now, Venom is still in pre-production stages, and Reese and Wernick have just completed their first draft. No word has been given on whether or not Topher Grace will reprise his role from “Spider–Man 3,” or whether Sony will go a new route and reboot the Venom spin-off from scratch.