According to The Hollywood Reporter, Topher Grace, who played the part of Venom host Eddie Brock, doesn't have an automatic in to the movie role, as the studio is not sure Grace could carry a film to huge numbers at the box office. Also going for the studio on that front is the nature of the beast, so to speak; Venom is actually just a viscous substance that attaches to a host, giving him (or her) special powers. So it's likely that Sony will sic the villainous goo onto an actor with a little more box office cred.

Now, I love superhero movies, and I don't blame the studio for wanting a little of the action (seeing as how their Spidey just got squashed under the boot of Batman in the record books). But here's the problem: The Joker was already a classic movie villain. Everyone knew who he was, be it from the old TV show or Jack Nicholson's 1989 performance. And other than comic book fans, I don't think anyone knew Venom existed before Spider-Man 3. Add to that the whole tragic Heath Ledger angle and the fact that his performance really got people talking (I don't remember anyone walking out of Spidey 3 talking about how awesome that Venom character was or Grace's phenomenal performance) and you can see that while Sony might have awareness going for them, they don't have nearly the same combustible equation that set The Dark Knight rocketing for the moon. I'm certainly not the first to say it, but Hollywood would do well to stop looking for ways to cash in on the next big thing, and just go out and find a good script. I bet Topher Grace would agree with me.