Venom fans have a wild theory about the Spider-Man spin-off's third movie thanks to its new official title

So, it's official, Venom 3 is actually called Venom: The Last Dance – and fans are already trying to work out what that might mean for Eddie Brock and the titular symbiote. A select few even have a wild theory that the title hints at a rather unexpected appearance...

"Michael Jordan cameo confirmed?" one hopeful wrote on a Reddit thread, as another chimed in: "Already looking forward to the Michael Jordan memes."

"VENOM IS TAKING ON MJ????" said a third.

In 2020, Netflix and ESPN Films released a documentary series about legendary basketball player Michael Jordan called The Last Dance, which is obviously why some are making the, rather odd, connection.

Surprisingly enough, though, this isn't the first time Venom 3 has been associated with the aforementioned subtitle. Tom Hardy, who plays Brock, the down-on-his-luck reporter who finds himself the witting host of an unruly flesh-hungry alien, previously took to Instagram back in 2022 to share the front page of the trilogy capper's screenplay. 

While it didn't specifically state that it was the third Venom movie's script, the doodle on it – a black face with big, diagonal eyes, a jagged mouth, and a long red tongue that ends with the number '3' – made it clear enough. Later, Hardy shared the same shot to his Instastory, tagging Sony Pictures alongside the words, 'Here we go' and a GIF that reads "LAST DANCE".

Like its predecessor, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the story for the next installment will be written by Hardy and Kelly Marcel, and directed by the latter. As it stands, we have no idea as to its plot, though it's worth remembering that the second movie ended with detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) seemingly absorbing the super-sonic powers of Naomie Harris's villain Shriek. There was also that post-credit scene, of course, which saw Eddie and Venom get mysteriously transported to a universe where Tom Holland's Spider-Man exists, and could lead into the upcoming movie.

Venom: The Last Dance now releases on October 25, having been moved up slightly from its original November 8 slot. For more, check out our roundup of the upcoming movies being released throughout 2024 and beyond.