This beloved actor was a last-minute addition to Venom: The Last Dance

Venom: The Last Dance had the huge task of introducing one of Marvel's most dangerous villains on the big screen. The King in Black himself, Knull, has been a recent addition to Venom's lore in comic book pages. However, he was so beloved by fans and critics alike that it wasn't a surprise to see him make his live-screen debut in Sony's latest movie. Even if the supervillain had very short screen time, his story is far from over. Director Kelly Marcel has gone on record multiple times stating that one project could never do justice to such a big character, so what we got was just a mere introduction and he'll be back in the future.

God is coming indeed.

With that in mind, you'd imagine casting the actor behind the voice and motion capture for such an important (and lasting) role would take a lot of time and special consideration. But if Thanos' casting in the original Avengers movie proved anything, is that reality is often disappointing. Turns out, those decisions may come in just before cameras start to roll. And if you don't believe me, perhaps the man in charge of bringing Knull to life in Venom's latest film could convince you otherwise.

Andy Serkis was cast as Knull 'last minute'

During an interview with ScreenRant at FAN EXPO San Francisco 2024, Andy Serkis revealed he was called to work in Venom: The Last Dance at the very last minute. While he had already worked in the franchise as the director for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, this was quite a different opportunity (but one he's not unfamiliar with as a motion capture actor). He was later informed the job could go on for multiple projects, and that did not detract him from accepting the position:

"I really, genuinely have no idea. It was very much, “Can you come in?” It was quite last minute, actually. “Can you come in and do the voice for Knull?” So I came in and did it on the stage. Then there was talk of: “This could go on… He’s quite a big character,” and I was like, “Yeah, I know that.” Well, let's see what happens, actually."

Of course, the question in mind is: where could we see the King in Black next? Well, there are two very likely (and different) options. The first one is an Agent-Venom movie, which is rumored to be at work at Sony. After all, it's worth remembering audiences witnessed a soldier named "Thomspon" lose both of his legs during the final act of Venom: The Last Dance. So it can't be denied the character was just being set up for more potential symbiotic storylines in the future.

The second (and perhaps more exciting) place where Knull could appear next is in the untitled Spider-Man 4. Sony Japan themselves teased Venom will have a role to play in the movie, and that falls in line with reports that state the wall-crawler and the Lethal Protector would need to team up to fight against the King in Black. It's worth remembering the wall-crawler's upcoming adventure will likely be a multiversal project, given that it takes place after the events of Avengers: Doomsday where Battleworld is rumored to be formed. So all the evidence seems to check out and it looks like 2026 will be the year of the symbiotes.

Only time will tell where we'll get to see to see Knull next. However, one thing's for certain: no other actor is as qualified as Andy Serkis to bring him to life. Thankfully, he was willing to do the work with such little anticipation.

Spider-Man 4 will be released on Jul. 24, 2026.