Sony Pictures recently delayed the vast majority of its 2020 release calendar to next year. With everything that is going on, and with movie theaters closed for an indefinite period of time, 2021 seems like green pastures at the moment. However, one key movie remains on track for its fall 2020 release in the form of Venom 2. It may well be Tom Hardy coming to save the day when movie theaters reopen, if the current release date sticks, that is.

According to a new report that was released after Sony announced new release dates for its current slate, Venom 2 is still on track to arrive in theaters on October 22, 2020. For the record, Sony has yet to confirm this release date is intended for the Marvel sequel, but they have that date set aside for an "untitled Marvel sequel." Since Spider-Man 3 is on track for a July 2021 release, Venom 2 is the only movie that fits the bill.

Morbius, another one of Sony's planned Spider-Man spin-offs, was set to arrive in July of this year, but has been pushed to March 2021. Jared Leto is set to star in the lead role and, as we've seen in the trailer, it looks to be more firmly rooted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, whereas Venom was not connected to that side of things at all. The status of Venom 2 remains uncertain in that department, but if Morbius has any connective tissue, that could complicate things if the release order is important. The MCU has a long-term plan and release order is very important for their purposes. If Sony is moving in that direction, this could get a bit dicey.

Andy Serkis (Breathe, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) is directing the sequel. Tom Hardy is returning as Eddie Brock/Venom, with Woody Harrellson coming back as Cetus Kasady, aka Carnage. Naomie Harris (Skyfall, Moonlight)) and Stephen Graham (The Irishman, Snatch) are joining the cast, with Michelle Williams reprising her role as Anne Weying. Filming had been well underway before the near-total shutdown of movie and TV production around the globe. Depending on how long the delay lasts, that could prevent the sequel from making this currently planned release date.

But Sony probably won't delay this one until it is absolutely necessary. With so many other big movies already delayed, such as Black Widow, F9 and A Quiet Place: Part II, there will be less to offer potential moviegoers once theaters reopen. Considering that Venom grossed a stunning $856 million at the box office, it stands to reason the follow-up could be an even bigger hit, especially with a hunger from the movie-loving public to see something like this in a theater once things return to normal. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news was previously reported by IGN.