Yesterday, an eagle-eyed Reddit user spotted something very interesting in a recent TV spot for the upcoming sci-fi thrillerLife. One seemingly random throwaway shot, featuring a number of New York City citizens looking up at something in the sky, was seemingly lifted from a shot that was originally filmed for Sony’s 2007 superhero sequelSpider-Man 3, during a scene whereTobey Maguire’sSpider-MansavesBryce Dallas Howard’s Gwen Stacy from being crushed by a crumbling building. While it’s likely just a case of the studio using a random shot from their library to save money, this shot has also spawned a crazy fan theory thatLifemay actually be a prequel to the long discussedVenomspin-off.
This theory first surfaced onReddit, claiming thatLifecould actually be a backdoor origin story for how the alien symbioteVenomcome to Earth in the first place. Venom is actually featured inSpider-Man 3, consuming Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) after taking over Peter Parker as his host. Then again, theSpider-Manfranchise has been rebooted twice since then, and while that logic may be far-fetched, to say the least, it wouldn’t be the first time that we’ve heard of a seemingly-unrelated movie being connected to a beloved franchise. Be warned there will be SPOILERS below for the hit movieSplitbelow, so read on at your own risk.
Many fans were quite shocked when it was revealed at the end ofSplitthat the movie is actually set in the world ofUnbreakable, with a brief cameo fromBruce Willisas David Dunn at the end of the film, setting up another movie that combines characters fromSplitandUnbreakable. Paramount has also surprised fans in the past by revealing that a small-budget indie previously known asThe Cellarwould be re-titled10 Cloverfield Lane, which connects to theCloverfielduniverse, as does the upcomingGod Particle. Just last fall, Lionsgate unveiled that a horror-thriller entitledThe Woodswas actually entitledBlair Witch. Even with all of these recent examples, it seems unlikely that the alien featured in theLife moviehas any connection to the newSpider-Manfranchise, which kicks off withSpider-Man: Homecomingon July 7.
With all of that being said, we did report last year that a newVenom movieis moving forward, with Sony Pictures hiringDante Harper(You Got Served) to write the script. However, that project will reportedly not be connected in any way to Sony and Marvel’sSpider-Man: Homecoming, with the studio planning on launching their own stand-alone franchise around this character. It isn’t clear at this time if Marvel will be involved in this project as well, but since it won’t be connected to theSpider-Man: Homecomingfranchise, it seems unlikely Marvel will have any involvement, though a full reveal of the alien in recent trailers does hold quite a resemblance to the black goo Symbiote seen in the Spider-Man comics.
Before Marvel and Sony inked their deal to bringSpider-Maninto theMarvel Cinematic Universe, Sony was developing twoSpider-Manspin-offs,The Sinister Six, which was teased at the end ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, andVenom. There has been talk that the studio is still developingThe Sinister Sixas well, but ifVenomisn’t connected toSpider-Man: Homecoming, then it’s possibleThe Sinister Sixwon’t be connected either. Sony has also handed out a July 31, 2025 release date forSpider-Man: Homecoming 2, which will be the second leg of a proposed trilogy, with each movie representing one year of his high school career.
