Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is the next addition to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe of movies and will star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular character.
With all of these superhero franchises, it can be hard to keep up. DC has multiple different universes from the DC Extended Universe to the Arrowverse, Marvel has the seemingly unstoppable Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Sony Pictures has its own Spider-verse. The latter is leaning into the villains around the Spider-Man Universe and with it we are getting Kraven the Hunter.
THE FIRST LOOK AT AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON AS KRAVEN THE HUNTER
Late March 2022 brought our first images of Aaron Taylor-Johnson on set as the titular anti-hero of Kraven the Hunter. The Twitter fan account QuidVacuo tweeted a shot of the actor from the set, barefoot. It isn’t clear whether or not he was wearing part of his actual costume or if he was just wearing a jacket during a break in filming.
Some days earlier, the Kraven the Hunter Movie Updates account posted video from a chase scene being filmed. In the clip, you can see what appears to be a man on top of a speeding car. You can watch the brief clip below.
ALESSANDRO NIVOLA AND CHRISTOPHER ABBOTT HAVE BEEN CAST AS VILLAINS
Apparently, Kraven the Hunter is going to be just chock full of bad guys, because even more have been cast. In early March 2022 came the news that Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark) would play the main antagonist of Kraven. However his identity is being kept under wraps.
Only a few days later, it was announced that Christopher Abbott (Possessor) was being added to the Kraven the Hunter cast as well. The word is Abbott will play the fan-favorite assassin The Foreigner.
In late February 2022, we exclusively reported that Fred Hechinger had been cast as the Chameleon in Kraven the Hunter. Within hours, our story was confirmed. Chameleon is Kraven’s half-brother in the comics, and is presumed to be the villain of the story. Originally a Spider-Man antagonist like Kraven, Chameleon is a master of disguise, able to assume just about anyone’s appearance.
ARIANA DEBOSE HAS BEEN CAST AS KRAVEN’S LOVE INTEREST
A week later, the news broke that Ariana Debose of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake would appear in Kraven the Hunter as the villain Calypso. In the source material, Calypso is often Kraven’s ally in his work to defeat Spider-Man. It’s unclear if she will likewise be Kraven’s partner in the film, or his enemy. Maybe a little bit of both? There’s definitely a chance this movie is about their relationship with all of the ups and downs.
RUSSELL CROWE ADDED TO THE KRAVEN THE HUNTER CAST
February 2022 brought the news that Russell Crowe of Gladiator fame is joining the cast of Kraven the Hunter. While his role isn’t confirmed, early reports indicate Crowe will be playing the titular anti-hero’s father, Nikolai Kravinoff. Interestingly, assuming the reports of the role are true, Kraven will be Russell Crowe’s third superhero movie role without playing a superhero. He played Jor-El, father of Superman, in Man of Steel. He’ll be playing Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder. Give the guy a mask already!
KRAVEN IS THE WORLD’S GREATEST HUNTER
Finding out who Kraven the Hunter is should be step number one. If you read comics, you know, but if you don’t, then you probably have no clue as he has not appeared in other media compared to other Spider-Man villains like Venom, Vulture, and Electro.
Marvel has a nice database on its website that breaks down the origins of a character, their power level, and so much more. For Kraven the Hunter, he is a mighty foe. The company has durability, energy, fighting skills, intelligence, speed, and strength, all given a score out of seven. The lowest being durability with a four, which is not bad at all given the maximum. Meanwhile, his speed and fighting capabilities are maxed out. His intelligence is also impressive, with a six.
Kraven the Hunter is the greatest hunter in the world, or at least that is what he thinks. To achieve that goal, he set his sights on Spider-Man to hang on his wall of trophies.
Utilizing equipment to weaken his prey, he likes to use his bare hands to take down his target, unlike most hunters who traditionally use guns or bows and arrows. With a serum he acquired, he has the strength to match the neighborhood-friendly superhero.
Like any villain or hero in comics, plenty of people have taken the alter-ego of Kraven the Hunter. Our focus for the film will be Sergei Kravinoff. The Russian got his nickname in his home country during the Russian Revolution.
He honed in on his skills in Africa, where he hunted large game. That is where he found his preference to use his hands and not a weapon. With a herbal concoction from a Voodoo doctor, his senses and strengths became greater.
AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON IS KRAVEN THE HUNTER
Initially, rumors were circulating about who would play the leading role in Sony’s Kraven the Hunter movie. Word came around that Keanu Reeves would take on the role. Reportedly, he passed it up.
Earlier this year, we got confirmation that Aaron Taylor-Johnson would return to the world of superheroes once again with the Kraven the Hunter standalone movie. The Kick-Ass and Avengers: Age of Ultron star will play as the villain’s most notable name, Sergei Kravinoff.
JC CHANDOR IS ON AS DIRECTOR
Kraven the Hunter will have some action-experienced people working behind the camera. J.C. Chandor will direct the film. His most recent film, Triple Frontier, had a star-studded lineup with Ben Affleck (Justice League), Oscar Isaac (Star Wars), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), and Adria Arjona (True Detective). The script will be written by Iron Man writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, along with Richar Wenk (The Equalizer).
THE KRAVEN THE HUNTER PLOT IS BEING KEPT A SECRET
We don’t know what the plot is. Sony is keeping it under wraps. Without any confirmed stars outside of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, we cannot be exactly sure what the plan is for Kraven the Hunter’s debut on the big screen.
As he is pretty unknown to mainstream audiences and has not appeared in the previous Spider-Man movies, we can expect it to be an origin story. Possibly, this will help set them up for a Sinister Six movie, as Kraven the Hunter is one of the founding members, but that’s yet to be seen.
Wenk did say that the writing team is looking to Last Hunt as inspiration for the narrative to the Kraven the Hunter standalone movie. The comic follows the hunter’s last effort to kill Spider-Man by shooting him and burying him to die in a shallow grave. It could be the Marvel Cinematic Universe connection that has been lacking so far in Sony’s universe.
There are rumors as to some aspects of the plot too. One that has been circulating is that we might see another supervillain, Chameleon. While taking it with a grain of salt, it makes sense as Dmitri Smerdyakov is Sergei’s half-brother. The reports state that it will not be a happy family reunion and more of a heated conflict between the two as Chameleon might be the antagonist of the film.
KRAVEN COULD BE CONNECTED TO THE MCU
The answer to whether Kraven the Hunter will ever be appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is both a yes and a no. It is uncertain, but Sony has said that it is connected, with Spider-Man as the bridge between the two franchises.
That said, it has not given us much on actually connecting anything. Sony has some films in the comic movie lineup with this year’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage and next year’s Morbius, which features Michael Keaton, who was seen as the baddie in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Vulture.
It is not confirmed that he will be reprising his role, but if Sony wants that bridge, it could cross it next year with Jared Leto’s vampire comic book adaption.
FANS HAVE GIVEN GLIMPSES OF WHAT KRAVEN THE HUNTER COULD LOOK LIKE
Bosslogic is a social media artist who has done official artwork for movies in the past. Starting as a fan artist has turned his hobby into a job by collaborating with big studios. It isn’t necessarily a confirmed look for the character, but if you need a glance, then you can see his version of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven the Hunter below.
KRAVEN THE HUNTER RELEASES ON JANUARY 13, 2023
Kraven the Hunter will release on January 13, 2023. No date has been given for when it will start production. Having only one actor onboard means we may not hear anything getting started until more actors sign-on. With the blockbuster hitting theaters in early 2023, it should start production by the end of this 2021 or sometime in early 2022.
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