Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis has revealed that the film almost had a very different title – one that would have leant into Eddie and Venom's relationship.
Speaking with Collider, Serkis admitted that, at one point, the Sony Pictures sequel was called Venom: Love Will Tear Us Apart. Venom 2's alternate title is one that will be familiar to fans of the British rock band Joy Division as it actually shares the same name as one of the group's classic 1980s tracks. However, Let There Be Carnage ultimately emerged as the frontrunner.
"We did think for a moment it might be called 'Love Will Tear Us Apart,' that was a going concern for a little while," Serkis said, right after he confirmed that Venom: Lethal Protector wasn't on the table. "But 'Let There Be Carnage' just seems to do it. There wasn't a lot of fighting over the other titles we were thinking of. Because this was such a strong contender."
Love Will Tear Us Apart not only humorously plays up the relationship between Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and his symbiote, it also applies to the reunion of Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady and his equally disturbed former flame, Naomie Harris' Shriek. Though they eventually landed on Let There Be Carnage as the title, it wasn't the only subject up for debate.
The mid-credits scene included in Venom: Let There Be Carnage teases what quite possibly may be one of the most anticipated moments fans have been waiting for since we first knew Tom Hardy would become Venom. However, Serkis recently revealed that the scene was "100% in flux" and actually only came together later into the production.
All of the pieces came together in end and the film was released in theaters on October 1. Venom 2 set a pandemic record with its $90.1 million domestic box office debut, surpassing Black Widow's $80 million performance earlier this year, though it's important to remember that Black Widow earned another $60 million from its release on Disney+ Premier Access.
IGN's critic awarded the Sony Pictures sequel a 7 out of 10 (Good) in our Venom: Let There Be Carnage review, writing that it "improves on everything from the first movie, leaning into its own absurdity. While it plays it a little safe, it still points the series in an exciting direction." As for the wider critic community, most seem to have a slightly dimmer view of the film.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.