Given the success of his low-budget debut, the found footage super powers flick Chronicle, it was inevitable that young director Josh Trank would find himself linked to a number of potential superhero movie adaptations. First up came word that Fox were keen to hand Trank the reins to their Fantastic Four reboot, which was also followed by rumours that he’d be given the task of helming the as-yet-untitled X-Men: First Class sequel prior to confirmation that Matthew Vaughn would be returning for a second mutant adventure.
Well, you can add another project to that list now, as 24 Frames are reporting that Sony plan to follow up Andrew Garfield’s web-slinging debut in The Amazing Spider-Man with a solo outing for the extra-terrestrial symbiote Venom, with Trank said to be in negotiations with the studio to tackle directing duties on the Spidey spin-off.
Venom has of course already appeared in live-action form on screen as one of the villains in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, where he was portrayed by Topher Grace (That 70’s Show, Predators). Talk of a solo movie first emerged back in 2008, with Jacob Estes (Mean Creek, The Details) penning a screenplay that was set to be directed by Gary Ross (Pleasantville, The Hunger Games), although it’s understood that the studio have decided to start afresh and are currently seeking a new writer for the project.
Originally published March 7, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
