"Conor obviously wants to have a scrap with everybody, so that’s useful."

As Venom is about to be unleashed in cinemas, film fans are about to see another Tom Hardy performance where the English actor has to deliver his lines while something covers his mouth. Rather than a mask, Eddie Brock has a pesky symbiote to deal with but one man that's never afraid of making his voice known is Conor McGregor. And Hardy has confirmed that he took inspiration from The Notorious for his new role. “It was not Venom: he was not based on him. There were more elements of [Venom's alter-ego] Eddie Brock which needed to be pinned on somebody who’s incredibly handy physically. And, obviously, Conor is incredibly handy physically," said Hardy during an interview with RTÉ. “There was an aspect the studio wanted somebody who could fight, which they always do in these sort of hero movies," he adds. "They want somebody who can have a scrap. Conor obviously wants to have a scrap with everybody, so that’s useful. But then, the are other elements in the character like the neurosis of Woody Allen, Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and other elements within. But yeah, he was definitely a key note." With regards to the plot, here's what fans can expect. As a journalist, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) has been trying to take down the notorious founder of the Life Foundation, genius Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) - and that obsession ruined his career and his relationship with his girlfriend, Anne Weying (Michelle Williams). Upon investigating one of Drake's experiments, the alien Venom merges with Eddie's body, and he suddenly has incredible new superpowers, as well as the chance to do just about whatever he wants. Twisted, dark, unpredictable, and fuelled by rage, Venom leaves Eddie wrestling to control dangerous abilities that he also finds empowering and intoxicating. As Eddie and Venom need each other to get what they're looking for, they become more and more intertwined — where does Eddie end and Venom begin? Hardy has undertaken extensive MMA training to prepare for the role - something he's very familiar with during his time making Warrior - and it's clear that Venom is taking more than one cue from the world of UFC. Venom is released on 5 October and here's a sneak peek at what's in store.