A release date has finally been fixed for the long-rumoured Spider-Man spin-off 'Venom', with Sony moving its 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' reboot 'The Girl in the Spider's Web' back a couple of weeks to make room. It marks the first of two anticipated Spider-Man spin-offs - the second being 'Sinister Six'.

VenomVenom from the 'Venom Vol. 1: Homecoming' comic book

'Venom' is set to arrive just over a year after 2017's 'Spider-Man: Homecoming', directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker. Here's everything we know about the movie so far. 

Who is Venom?

Venom is an amorphous alien parasite known as a Symbiote who can only survive by taking on a human host, and thence imbues the host with extraordinary power. Despite his rather unwelcoming appearance, he's not necessarily a supervillain; though he could be described as an anti-hero. In fact, Symbiotes generally only really want to do good in the world, and it all depends on the quality of the person as to whether or not they become corrupt. That's why there are different depictions of Venom's personality in the comics; different hosts manifest the Symbiote in different ways.

What is the plot?

The plot remains under wraps but there were rumours that the movie would feature Venom's psychopathic Symbiote counterpart Carnage; in fact, early drafts of the movie suggested that the title would be 'Venom: Carnage'. There's no word on whether or not that's still the case, but it would certainly make for an even darker spin-off than if it were just Venom alone. 

Who is writing it?

Dante Harper ('Alien: Covenant') was previously cited to write the script, but now it seems screenwriters Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner have taken over. The pair have most recently been working together on the forthcoming 'Jumanji' reboot, while Pinker has also been working on the film adaptation of Stephen King's magnum opus 'The Dark Tower'.

Meanwhile, Marvel producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach have also joined the project alongside, according to some reports, 'Ghostbusters' producer Amy Pascal.

Who is starring?

The short answer is: we don't yet know yet. However, it's extremely unlikely we'll see the return of Topher Grace who played the character in 2007's 'Spider-Man 3'. Apart from the fact that the movie bombed and that the 'Spider-Man' movie franchise is starting over with a whole new cast, Topher has actually said that he won't be making a return according to Movieweb.

More: Watch the trailer for 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

Who is directing?

Again, we don't know! However, about a year ago Alex Kurtzman was in talks to helm the movie. That's unlikely now, though, as he has a very busy schedule. He directed 'The Mummy' reboot which comes out this year, but he's also been announced to write the screenplays for an untitled Universal monster project, a new 'Van Helsing' movie and he is also the creator of a new series: 'Star Trek: Discovery'.

When will it be released?

'Venom' is currently scheduled for release on October 5th 2018.