Tom Hardy has shrugged off his Bane costume for an alien symbiote if the latest reports regarding Sony’s planned Venom film are to be believed. You’ll remember that Sony is eager to kick off their own shared cinematic universe based on their rights to Spider-Man and 900 some odd characters, dubbed Sony’s Marvel Universe. We now have an idea of what the intended R-rated kick-off to this universe will look like thanks to the news that not only will Hardy star in the title role as Eddie Brock, but that Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Gangster Squad) will direct.

The news broke via press release with multiple trades reporting that the Oscar-nominated Hardy and Fleischer are in final negotiations for Venom. This comes as good news considering that Sony has set the picture for an October 5, 2018 release date. And though Sony is working hand-in-hand with Marvel Studios to feature the more familiar wall-crawler in Spider-Man: Homecoming this July 7th, Venom is going to launch the studio’s own ‘verse’ that won’t be connected to the MCU in any way. Production is expected to start this fall.

Tom Hardy is Eddie Brock in #Venom, the upcoming film from Sony’s Marvel Universe releasing October 5, 2018 – production starts this fall. pic.twitter.com/OZQqDEvoum — Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) May 19, 2017

Hardy, who will next be seen in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, will undoubtedly fully inhabit the role of Eddie Brock. He’s been known to dive deep into such characters as the psychotic Charles Bronson, the charming Eames from Inception, the damaged veteran/fighter Tommy Conlon in Warrior, and the tough-as-nails Forrest Bondurant in Lawless … and yes, the mumbling terrorist Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Now Hardy makes the shift to the Marvel side of things and will likely enjoy a lot of CG-heavy action on screen as Venom, the counterpart to the relatively mild-mannered Eddie Brock. Plot details remain quiet, however, so it’ll be a while before we figure out how this movie is shaping up, and just what Fleischer will bring to the table.

As for the post-Venom pictures in the Sony Marvel Universe, screenwriter Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok) will write the script for a pitch on Spider-Man characters Black Cat and Silver Sable, building on a previous version of the script from Lisa Joy (Westworld); Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal will produce the film previously known as the “secret female spin-off project.”

Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji) and Jeff Pinkner (The Dark Tower) are writing the script for Venom, with Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal as producers. Palak Patel and Eric Fineman will oversee the production for Columbia Pictures.