Sony Sets Two Marvel Movies for 2020, Likely Venom 2 and Morbius

Sony Pictures has dated two Marvel movies for 2020: an untitled Sony-Marvel project is slated for July 10, 2020, followed by an untitled Sony-Marvel sequel for October 2, 2020. Though Sony didn't provide any further details, we can piece together what those two films will be from what we already know. The first one is likely Morbius, starring Jared Leto, as producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach revealed in October that it would be the next Spider-Man spin-off. And since the second one says ‘sequel', it is most likely Venom 2. If you're thinking why it can't be a Spider-Man movie, that's because there's already one in 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Filming is expected to begin on Morbius in early 2019, possibly in February, Arad said last month. Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa (Life) is directing the adaptation of Morbius the Living Vampire, which has been written by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Lost in Space). Morbius will be the second comic book character for Leto, who previously played the Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad and has a contract with Warner Bros.-DC for more appearances.

As for the Venom sequel, though the first one was panned by critics — it holds a 29 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes — it has been a financial success for Sony Pictures. Venom has grossed $780 million (about Rs. 5,550 crore) at the worldwide box office, with over $200 million coming from China. Venom 2 also has the advantage of [spoiler alert] introducing another iconic Spider-Man villain in Carnage (Woody Harrelson), who was teased in a post-credits scene with Venom.

Morbius will most likely release on July 10, 2020, while Venom 2 might hit cinemas on October 2, 2020. Sony Pictures is also actively developing other Spider-Man spin-off movies based on the likes of Silver Sable, Black Cat, and Silk. All these films are part of Sony's own Marvel universe, which share Tom Holland as the new Spider-Man but have no connection to other Marvel Studios movies.