The cast of Venom 2 might include JK Simmons.
UK cinema chain Vue lists the actor as part of the cast in their page for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Simmons played Daily Bugle boss J Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and reprised the role in the MCU's Spider-Man: Far From Home. His involvement in Venom 2 hasn't been officially confirmed, and the listing also includes Tom Hollander (no, not Tom Holland), who also isn't officially part of the cast – so it's possible these names are a mistake.
If Jameson does show up in the symbiote's second outing, though, then it seems the multiverse speculation has been getting it right all along. Already, the Daily Bugle newspaper has been spotted in the Venom 2 trailer, and the logo is the same as the one in Raimi's movies – so if Jameson is still in the editor's chair, it's not a stretch to assume there's a link.
Venom 2 director Andy Serkis has poured water over shared-universe theorizing, however, commenting: "But in this, we're treating this very much as it's his own world. The Venom story is his own world."
This isn't the only upcoming Marvel movie that's led to some heavy-duty theories to sprout. The upcoming Spider-Man spin-off Morbius appears to have an MCU connection, with graffiti of the web-slinger scrawled on a wall with the word "murderer" – potentially in reference to Mysterio's death in Far From Home. Plus, Tyrese Gibson even said the movie is part of the MCU, which Sony then denied.
Then there are the rumors about Spider-Man 3, AKA Spider-Man: No Way Home, which looks set to delve into the multiverse: Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are said to be reprising their respective Spideys, while Alfred Molina is back as Doc Ock, and Jamie Foxx is reportedly returning as Electro.
Simmons' addition to Venom 2 is just one more thread in the ever-growing web of apparent Marvel multiversal connections. Are we about to see a live-action Spider-Verse come into play? We'll probably find out more when Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives this October 15, after a slight delay from September.
In the meantime, check out our roundup of all of 2021's upcoming major movie release dates.
