After The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy to star in another superhero film, Venom

Los Angeles: Actor Tom Hardy has been roped in to star in the upcoming superhero film Venom, a spin-off to the Spider-Man franchise.

Tom Hardy was last seen in The Dark Knight Rises. Reuters

The Sony Pictures-backed project will be directed by Zombieland fame Ruben Fleischer, reports theguardian.com.

According to sources, Hardy is a huge fan of Venom. His only film in the superhero genre was 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, in which he played Bane.

Hardy will play Eddie Brock, a freelance photographer who becomes infected by an alien life form that needs a host in order to survive.

Meanwhile, actor Tom Holland will next be seen playing Spider-Man in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe project, Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is slated to release on 7 July in US.

Venom is set to hit theaters on 5 October, 2018.