Tom Hardy is ready to be San Francisco's Lethal Protector in the first official photo from Venom.
The Peaky Blinders actor is looking less ooze-y than we expected in the newly-released image, which dropped on Thursday along with footage of Hardy's recent Comic Con Experience panel for Venom (via IGN):
At theDecember event, Hardy and his director Ruben Fleischer appeared live via satellite to fans in Brazil to offer the first concrete details about their movie.
"We want to be as true as possible to the comics, but our film is primarily based on The Lethal Protector and the Planet of the Symbiotes books," director Ruben Fleischer confirmed.
"I can promise you badass action, Venom's dark humour, and I can also promise you an absolutely stunning performance by Tom Hardy."
Venom: Lethal Protector is Marvel's limited run comic from the 1990s, in which Eddie Brock moved from New York City to San Francisco to face off with five rogue symbiote offspring.
Planet of the Symbiotes arrived two years later in 1995, as the symbiotes once again wreaked havoc by possessing random citizens in order to commit heinous acts of violence.
Chatting about the film adaptation, Tom Hardy promised that both he and director Ruben Fleischer are committed to doing Venom justice for the character's hardcore fanbase.
"I give you my word of honour that I'm going to do everything I can to deliver the best Venom that I possibly can muster," he vowed. "I know how important he is to you.
"I know how important [Venom] is to the Marvel Universe, and I know how important this [film] is for all of us here [on set]."
Venom, which will also star Michelle Williams, opens on 5 October in US and UK cinemas.
