‘Venom’ Director Opens Up About the Struggles of Creating the Character’s Origin Without Spider-Man

Ruben Fleischer, who directed the movie Venom, recently discussed the challenges he faced while making the 2018 film. In an interview with The Playlist’s Discourse Podcast, he explained how difficult it was to create Venom’s origin story without including Spider-Man, a character often central to it.

The director said creating a Venom movie separate from Spider-Man meant they had to develop a completely original story.

According to Fleischer, the first Venom movie was unique because it had to establish itself without any connection to Spider-Man. He explained that everyone involved was trying to define the film’s identity, which was difficult since Venom had always been linked to Spider-Man, and they couldn’t include the superhero in the movie. This presented a significant creative challenge.

Fleischer explained that the decision to keep Venom separate from Spider-Man wasn’t a last-minute one – it was the original intention. He recalled, “It was always meant to be a separate entity.” While there might have been potential for the characters to interact later on, the core idea was that Venom’s story shouldn’t rely on Spider-Man.

The disconnect from the Spider-Man story also impacted Venom’s appearance. The comic book version of Venom has a prominent white spider on his costume, representing his link to Spider-Man. However, the movie couldn’t include this detail. As Fleischer explained, they needed a new design because Venom’s origin story was different in the film. “He traditionally has a spider on his chest because of his connection to Spider-Man,” Fleischer said. “Since we created a new backstory, we had to design a unique symbol for his chest, one that didn’t imply any relationship with Spider-Man.”

Even with difficulties during production, Fleischer emphasized the team focused on the enjoyable and distinctive aspects of the story. He aimed for a balance between serious and funny moments, noting that audiences love how humorous ‘Venom’ is. He explained that the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the idea of an alien living inside someone is inherently a bit absurd.

He shared that classic movies like All of Me and An American Werewolf in London heavily influenced his work. He described drawing inspiration from those films, noting their blend of humor and what he considered a touch of body horror. He specifically praised Tom Hardy for skillfully balancing humor and darkness in his performance, which he felt made the film unique and memorable.

Fleischer disagreed with the idea that too many studio executives were meddling with the creative process. He explained, “I’m very happy with how the film came out, and it was a collaborative effort, just like most big studio movies.” He also added that anyone suggesting a $200 million movie is the result of a single person’s vision is likely being unrealistic.

Honestly, as a fan, I’m so glad everything worked out with Venom! It was a huge hit, making over $850 million globally and really launching Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Fleischer himself seems really pleased, saying it all happened exactly as it should have.

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2025-11-10 11:55