It's official: Andy Serkis will direct Tom Hardy in Venom 2.

Hardy appeared to tease Serkis's involvement in the sequel last week when he shared a now-deleted picture of the filmmaker on his Instagram. Serkis has now confirmed the rumors, writing on his own Instagram: "It’s actually happening. I can feel it, the Symbiote has found a host in me, and I’m ready for the ride...Can’t wait! Are you ready @tomhardy?"

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0zBaSjB75t/

Producer Amy Pascal confirmed in June that Hardy will definitely be reprising his role as Marvel antihero Venom a.k.a. Eddie Brock. Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Gangster Squad), last year's Venom became a huge box office hit, grossing $855 million worldwide, but critics' reviews weren’t entirely positive.

Serkis is perhaps best known for his super-impressive motion-capture performances as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings franchise and lead simian Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his motion-capture and CGI skills helped him to land the Venom 2 directing job.

He's previously directed two other movies: 2017's biographical drama Breathe starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, and 2018's Rudyard Kipling adaptation Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, which featured motion-capture performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Naomie Harris, and Cate Blanchett.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTENYBBaQUo

Kelly Marcel, who co-wrote Venom, has also written the script for the sequel, though there's no word yet on when Serkis hopes to start shooting. Watch this space.

Do you think Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy will make a "dream team" on Venom 2?