Link to the thread on Spider-Man 3 (2007).

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Sony may bite on Spidey spinoff
With Heath Ledger's villainous Joker drawing attention and boxoffice dollars, Sony is moving forward with "Venom," a potential "Spider-Man" spinoff based on a bad guy.
The studio is developing the project, based on the gooey nemesis who appeared in "Spider-Man 3" and is hoping the character could serve as an antidote to the aging "Spider-Man" franchise in the way that Fox has used Wolverine to add longevity to its "X-Men" franchise.
Hollywood Reporter, July 31

Hm, Venom wasn't treated very well in the last film. I'm involved with some Spider-man franchise stuff at the moment so I try to keep up on what fans of the comic are saying about other-media spinoffs. I guess Venom fans weren't at all pleased with Sam Raimi's take on the character or his fate in the movie.

So this is a bit of an exciting turn. No one had much hope for Venom in future Spider-man movies, but his own spinoff is pretty good, if it happens. I wouldn't mind seeing Topher Grace reprise the role either.

But didn't Venom, like, DIE at the end of Spider-Man 3? I am wondering how they could spin this off into its own franchise. Maybe Venom has a cousin, and there is some OTHER piece of black goo just waiting to fall out of the sky ...

Topher Grace's character and the goo that made his costume certainly died... However, there was that bit that Dr. Connors has in his lab.

IMO, this just won't work. What are you going to have--a bad guy v. a badder guy (Carnage)? None of this anti-hero crap, please.

Venom did go the super-hero route in the 90s...but I never read those books...I mean, murdering psychopaths are for eight year olds.

No one dies in comics.