Michelle Williams is undoubtedly one of our finest actresses, and she’s gotten to be that way in part because of the choices that she makes. Sure, she might have started on teen drama “Dawson’s Creek,” but from the start of her career, she’s made a point of seeking out interesting films from up-and-coming auteurs and indie legends. Sure, not all of them have worked out (looking at you, “Deception” and “Incendiary”), but the results, and relationships with major filmmakers like Todd Haynes and Kelly Reichardt, and four Oscar nominations speak for themselves.
She’s also a rarity in having maintained her stardom without going into blockbuster territory very often — her only step into tentpole territory was a small supporting turn in Sam Raimi’s “Oz The Great And Powerful.” But while Williams continues to work with top filmmakers — she’ll next be seen in Haynes’ “Wonderstruck,” and then Ridley Scott’s “All The Money In The World” — it seems like the actress is keen to let her hair down a bit. At the end of the year, she’ll star with Hugh Jackman in musical “The Greatest Showman,” and next year will appear with Amy Schumer in high-concept comedy “I Feel Pretty.” And now, she’s about to make her superhero movie debut.
Variety reveal that Williams is in negotiations to join the cast of Sony’s upcoming “Venom,” based on the popular Spider-Man anti-hero (though the studio have apparently stressed that the film is a stand-alone, with no connections to their Spider-universe, which is… confusing). Williams joins Tom Hardy, who’s playing the titular, symbiote-wearing role of Eddie Brock, and Riz Ahmed, who may or may not be playing arch-nemesis Carnage.
Williams would play a district attorney who may also be the love interest of Hardy’s character. We’ve been pretty skeptical about this one — it seems like a pretty transparent lunge at the “Deadpool” market, and we’re not sure the character is interesting to sustain a movie on his own, plus we consider director Ruben Fleischer firmly not forgiven for “Gangster Squad” yet. But it’s hard not to be intrigued by a cast of this calibre. Are they all just getting a paycheck? Or is there something about the script that appeals beyond the chance to buy a new summer house?
We’ll be finding out in a little over a year: “Venom” will open on October 5th, 2018.
