Comic book fans are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Sony’s Venom film, starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and his sentient alien alter-ego. While the presence of Hardy is enough to ensure a decent opening weekend, he’s also joined by Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Woody Harrelson, and Jenny Slate.

Sony is gearing up for a franchise, as Hardy recently indicated in an interview with Total Film that he’s on-board for two sequels.

“We’ve signed up for three of them. So it’s very much an open case,” said Hardy.

“We’ll see what people’s responses are to it. I think it’s an awesome character. I love playing both of them.”

Because it’s under Sony, Venom exists outside of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. According to Hardy, the studio is set to work as a standalone universe.

“We’re all prepped for it to be a standalone universe,” said Hardy. “So whatever Sony want to attach to it at a later date, it’s a fulcrum piece. But let’s see what happens when it lands.”

Venom hits theatres on October 5.