Get ready for more symbiote-driven comic book movie craziness, as Venom 2 is underway. The sequel to last year's breakout Marvel Comics adaptation has kicked off production, whether or not Sony Pictures wants us to know about it. But Tom Hardy wanted us to know about it, so the cat is out of the bag anyway. And, based on some other surrounding factors, it's probably going to be an intense shoot.

Taking to Instagram, Tom Hardy shared a photo of himself in what looked to be a makeup chair getting ready for filming, with an unidentified individual appearing in the photo with him. The actor captioned the photo with "W#'R'V3N0M2 day one." So that's pretty plainly signaling the start of production. However, the post was subsequently deleted, which means someone from the studio likely requested that he take the post down, for whatever reason. Luckily, some fans managed to get screenshots of the post, which have since been circulating online.

Deleted or not, the fact that Venom 2 has started filming now makes a great deal of sense. The release date is set for October 2020, which gives just under a year to get this movie finished and in the can. That's no small task for a blockbuster of this size. Another interesting wrinkle has been added recently as well. Andy Serkis, known best for his work as an actor, specifically a motion-capture specialist on movies like Lord of the Rings and the Planet of the Apes movies. But he's also been directing as of late and was tapped by Sony to helm the comic book sequel, which made for quite the interesting choice. There is no word yet if we'll get a Spider-Man vs Venom crossover cameo in this sequel just yet, or if that's being save for the future.

At the same time, Andy Serkis has also teamed with his old filmmaking buddy Matt Reeves for The Batman, another massive upcoming comic book adaptation. Serkis has been tapped to star alongside Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne as Alfred Pennyworth. With filming set to begin early next year on that movie, that means Serkis will need to either be done with Venom 2 by then, or somehow work around doing them both at the same time. That adds another layer to this tight schedule, to be certain. But there is no way either studio would risk anything major on such a big movie, so they must be certain that Serkis can handle it.

The sequel sees Woody Harrellson returning as Cletus Kasady, who was first glimpsed in Venom's post-credit scene. Eddie Brock paid him a visit and, at the time, the psychopath was locked up nice and night. Harrellson will bring the villain Carnage to life this time around, which is something fans have wanted to see for a very long time. Michelle Williams is also set to return as Anne Weying, with Oscar-nominee Naomie Harris tapped to play the villain Shriek, who, in the pages of Marvel Comics, was Kasady's girlfriend. Venom 2 is expected to hit theaters on October 2, 2020, from Sony Pictures. We'll be sure to keep you posted as further details are made available throughout production.

Venom 2 starts shooting today. Alfred's going to be working overtime if The Batman starts shooting in January. pic.twitter.com/r7SPN2GtgB — Comic Book Talk (@ComicBooksTalk) November 15, 2019