Tom Hardy shouts out Venom 3's director and crew as he celebrates being back filming

Venom star Tom Hardy has paid tribute to his long-time collaborator Kelly Marcel and stunt man Jake Tomuri, as he celebrates the franchise's third movie resuming filming following the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Describing the film as "the last dance" for the second time, which fuels speculation it'll mark his last appearance as the titular Marvel antihero, the British actor took to Instagram on November 24 to share a photo of himself with Marcel and Tomuri. He captioned it: "Thankfully we are back to shooting; and I want to take a moment just to thank all the teams thus far on the ride from V1 to here."

Shouting out the series' "fantastic cast and crew", he continued: "There's always hard turns to burn when we work but doesn't feel as hard when you love what you do and when you know you have great material and the support at all sides. [When you're] surrounded by talented and passionate departments and when surrounded by people you love and care about, it doesn't get any better."

Later, he singled out Marcel in the caption, admitting how proud he's felt watching her take over as director from Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the first film in 2018, and Andy Serkis, who steered its sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage three years later.

"It is an honor," he said. "Trust your gut, your instincts are always spot on. First class - I back you. 100%. As always, and I absolutely love working with you and watching you take on bigger challenges every time."

Ending the heartfelt post on a more humorous note, Hardy added: "And to my great friend, face plant chief operator and brother Jacob, you still look f all like me bro. Here's to a great ride!!!"

As it stands, we have no idea as to what Venom 3's plot will be, though it's worth remembering that the second movie ended with detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) seemingly absorbing the super-sonic powers of Naomie Harris's villain Shriek. There was also that post-credit scene, of course, which saw Eddie and Venom get mysteriously transported to a universe where Tom Holland's Spider-Man exists, and could lead into the upcoming movie. Only time will tell.

Venom 3 releases on November 8, 2024, pushed back from its original July 12, 2024 date. For more, check out our list of every new superhero movie heading our way.