Andy Serkis may get a chance to step out from behind his performance-capture rig and digital mask to get behind the camera instead. That's all assuming things go well with Sony. The accomplished filmmaker, well-known for his expertise in motion-capture and performance-capture work, is on the current shortlist of directors for the studio's follow-up to Venom. And while that wouldn't make it the first comic book movie for Serkis to get involved with, it would be the first time he gets the opportunity to direct one.

THR reports that Serkis and Sony have had meetings about the unofficially titled Venom 2, though he's reportedly one of several filmmakers in the mix. As Variety follows up, they also throw names like Travis Knight (Bumblebee) and Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) against the wall to see what sticks.

The studio will have to move fast with this decision if they want to capitalize on the success of the first film, which earned over $856 million at the worldwide box office against most expectations. The plan is to get cameras rolling by November of this year for a presumed scheduled release day of October 2, 2020 (currently earmarked for an Untitled Sony/Marvel Sequel).

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Image via Netflix

Currently, all we have for Venom 2 is a script from Kelly Marcel (Venom) and Tom Hardy's return. Serkis' involvement, however, would bring some interesting possibilities into the mix. His digital creations and awards-worthy performances arguably have more famous faces than his own, but he clearly brings a singular expertise from the VFX world to any and all projects he's involved with. Serkis parlayed his time acting as second-unit director for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy into his directorial debut with Breathe in 2017, followed by Netflix's Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle just last year. Stay tuned for more on this one.

For more on Venom 2, be sure to get caught up with these related write-ups:

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Image via Netflix