Advertisement

Andy Serkis says 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' was never going to be R-rated (exclusive)

Watch: Andy Serkis discusses Venom: Let There Be Carnage age rating

Andy Serkis says there was never a chance of Venom: Let There Be Carnage receiving an R-rating and that there would have been "no point" in aiming for the higher certificate.

There was some speculation about the sequel potentially pushing its violence a little further, with producer Matt Tolmach saying in 2019 that a harsher rating was being considered.

But that has not transpired, with Venom: Let There Be Carnage certified at PG-13 in the USA and 15 in the UK — identical to the previous film.

Read more: Tom Hardy really wants Venom to meet Spider-Man

"It was never not gonna be [a PG-13]," Serkis, who replaced Ruben Fleischer in the director's chair, told Yahoo Entertainment UK.

Andy Serkis directs Tom Hardy on the set of 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'. (Sony/Marvel)
Andy Serkis directs Tom Hardy on the set of 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'. (Sony/Marvel)

The Brit added: "From the outset, we were always going to make a movie that we pushed as far as we could and so that it did feel dark, it did feel real, it felt emotionally powerful but at the same time the humour was there.

"We didn't ever want to transcend that and try to make it an R-rated movie ever.

"There was no point because we wanted to speak to the same audience who had enjoyed it the first time around and build on that."

Read more: Tom Hardy and Andy Serkis bond on Venom set

The audience Serkis is talking about was certainly a large one, with Venom swiping aside poisonous critical reviews to gross a monstrous $856m (£632m) at the global box office.

There's every indication that this franchise has repeated the feat again, with the movie's opening day gross in the USA this week actually surpassing its predecessor, despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Hardy returns to the role of journalist Eddie Brock and the titular symbiote in 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'. (Sony/Marvel)
Tom Hardy returns to the role of journalist Eddie Brock and the titular symbiote in 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'. (Sony/Marvel)

The new movie brings Eddie Brock — and his unlikely alien symbiote buddy — into the orbit of Woody Harrelson's serial killer Cletus Kasady, who soon acquires an alien hitch-hiker of his own.

Serkis said he was "stepping on to a very fast-moving bus" when he took on the job of directing Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Read more: Andy Serkis hints at the darkness of The Batman

He added: "I knew that the scale and the appetite for the first film was so huge. I was given a gift in a way because, to get a franchise up and running takes an enormous amount of effort and the film was such a great success.

"So I feel blessed that, when Tom asked me to direct it, there was such a great story idea, stepping into a relationship that was evolving, with a great villain."

Venom: Let There Be Carnage will be released only in cinemas from 15 October.

Watch: Trailer for superhero sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage