Sony has found the long-awaited lead for its solo Venom movie in a popular actor with some big comic experience under his belt!

Tom Hardy, who played Bane in Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight Rises, is set to star as Eddie Brock, the man who is taken over by an symbiotic alien being that gives him wild new powers including super strength, shape-shifting, and camouflage.

The character was originally conceived as a villain and was touted as such in Spider-Man 3, in which he was portrayed by Topher Grace, but in more recent comic renditions, he’s been more of an antihero with a darkly comedic flair.

Hardy, who is a huge fans of the character according to Variety, celebrated by posting a photo of himself in a Venom t-shirt.

Sony announced that Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer will helm the project, giving us big hopes for a successful horror-comedy vibe with an antihero story line.

Venom is due to hit theaters on October 5, 2018.