While we now know a Spider-Man and Venom crossover movie is in the works, here’s one collaboration we didn’t see coming for Eddie Brock and his symbiote pal Venom: a mash-up with The Matrix. Okay okay, so it’s not a crossover in the traditional sense, but fans of these series might find it pretty amusing that because of the two films sharing the same filming locations last February, some scenes from Venom: Let There Be Carnage actually feature set pieces from The Matrix Resurrections — namely some helicopters that appear when Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom are on the run.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage Location Manager Christopher Kusiak revealed the helicopters seen flying near Coit Tower in the film were not part of Venom‘s production but were actually from the set of The Matrix Resurrections. According to Kusiak, “the helicopters were actually on the Matrix movie. The Matrix was filming at the same time so we were catching part of their activity on camera.” Kusiak said the team ultimately decided to keep them in, as they inadvertently helped out Venom: Let There Be Carnage. However, Kusiak also added that the cast and crew of Venom: Let There Be Carnage wasn’t always so lucky to have The Matrix Resurrections nearby.
“Lots of stuff impacted filming,” Kusiak said. “A lot of our driving shots went away because The Matrix controlled all of downtown…We ended up moving a stunt up onto the top of the parking garage because we couldn’t get to the areas we wanted because of The Matrix. But if we would’ve been there first, it probably would’ve gone the other way.”
As The Matrix Resurrections has not yet hit theaters (we’ll have to wait until December 22 for that), it’s unclear what scenes the crew was filming or if Venom: Let There Be Carnage had any impact on their filming schedule. However, seeing as how The Matrix got there first and reportedly paid the San Francisco Police Department $420,371.63 over 21 days of shooting to help manage the public during their stunts (comparatively, Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage paid $192,422.58), it seems likely that they had to deal with a lot fewer inconveniences than Kusiak and the Let There Be Carnage team. However, there’s no denying Venom made the best of a tricky situation and saved some serious cash, making the movie’s wildly impressive opening taste even sweeter.
