Is Norman Reedus playing Knull in Venom 3? Casting rumor explained
AMC/MarvelVenom: The Last Dance is set to introduce Knull on screen for the first time, one of the most powerful, dangerous villains in Marvel’s canon – and according to a rumor, he’ll be played by Norman Reedus.
The title of Venom 3 isn’t a red herring: the threequel is set to be the final installment in Tom Hardy’s franchise (though some people believe it could set up Spider-Man 4 and Tom Holland’s black suit).
As such, it’s going out with a bang and one of the biggest baddies from the comics: Knull, the god of darkness and father of the symbiotes.
He’s name-dropped and briefly, barely seen in the newest trailer, but Sony has yet to confirm who’s playing him – so, is it Reedus?
Norman Reedus (almost definitely) isn’t playing Knull
Sorry, Knull-heads, it’s highly unlikely Norman Reedus is playing the villain in Venom 3, but it’s easy to see how you may have been duped.
On X/Twitter, Cinema Souless posted a tweet claiming that Reedus is playing Knull and attributed it to the official Venom account, suggesting it was a real announcement. However, if you take a quick look at the movie’s page, no such casting news has been shared in the last 24 hours.
This is a classic case of grifting. The account responsible for this misinformation only has 154 followers, so it’s not exactly a reputable news source, and it often posts unsubstantiated claims. In one tweet, it alleged Spider-Man 4 (which hasn’t started production) has a runtime of two hours and 45 minutes, seemingly as per Sony – something conjured out of thin air.
Unfortunately, Rejected Scooper – a much larger account with a 20k-plus following – also posted the Reedus casting.
That’s not to say it absolutely won’t happen. Technically, Sony hasn’t said whether or not Reedus is playing Knull, so we’ll just have to wait and see – but don’t get your hopes up.
That said, it’s had one positive effect: fans really want to see Reedus in the role. “Honestly Norman Reedus would make an amazing Knull even if this is fake,” one user wrote.
“Norman Reedus, as Knull, the King of the Symbiotes, is peak casting! Good job, Sony,” another posted. “I’m so excited for Norman Reedus as Knull like it’s perfect for him,” a third added.
Who are the villains in Venom 3?
Knull is just one of Venom 3’s antagonists. Hardy’s Eddie and Venom will also need to face off against the Klyntar, the symbiotes who crash into Earth and start hunting for them.
Sony PicturesThat’s not all. They’ll need to contend with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s government agent (believed to be Orwell Taylor), who also wants to catch Venom.
And then there’s the small matter of Toxin, the inevitable symbiote attached to Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham). At the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, he was nearly killed by Shriek – but he survived, and we last saw his eyes turning a different color.
It’s unclear how big Knull’s role will be. According to The Cosmic Circus, there may be plans for Knull to act as a bridge between Sony’s universe and the MCU, with Venom potentially set for a team-up with Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4.
Venom 3 doesn’t hit cinemas until October 25, 2024, so until then, check out our list of the best superhero movies of all time and our ranking of the MCU movies.