James Bond news: Does THIS mean Tom Hardy won't replace Daniel Craig?
BOND FAVOURITE Tom Hardy could be out of the running to replace Daniel Craig after he just landed this major new Marvel superhero role.
Tom Hardy cast as Venom but can he still play James Bond?
Hardy has long been one of the frontrunners to take up Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Alongside Idris Elba and Aidan Turner, the rugged star is a fan and bookies favourite for the highly-coveted role.
However, Hardy has just landed another high-profile gig in the latest Marvel comics spin-off, Venom.
The film has an October 2018 release date in the schedules, which would mean the Brit star is probably far too busy over the next 18 months to also slip into Bond's tuxedo.
Tom Hardy cast as Venom
There had been considerble hope that the current OO7 would resume the role, until recent reports broke that Barbara Brocolli "would not wait" any longer for Daniel Craig to commit.
This focussed attention back on Elba, Hardy and a new favourite, Jack Huston.
Yesterday, however, Sony Pictures revealed out of the blue that Hardy had been cast as Spider-Man's dark side, Eddie Brock, otherwise known as the evi symbiote Venom.
It's certainly a millionmiles away from his adorable recent appearance on CBeebies.
Tom Hardy reads adorable bedtime story on CBeebies
Although Tom Holland's Spider-Man continues to cross over between the big studio blockbusters, the Venom movie will exist completely independently of the main Marvel franchises.
The project will be directed by Ruben Fleischer, who previously helmed the critical smash Zombieland.
Venom previously appeared in Tobey Magire's Spider-Man 3.
VENOM IS SLATED FOR RELEASE ON OCTOBER 5, 2018