We admire Sony’s dedication to the Spider-Man villainverse (Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Venom: The Last Dance, and Morbius) that now includes Kraven the Hunter who pounces into action in the visceral origin story of one our friendly neighborhood’s web-slinger’s most formidable foes.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays primal prowler Kraven–“a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless father Nikolai Kravinoff starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared,” per the official synopsis.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Johnson opens up about playing the ‘unique’ character who eventually becomes obsessed with hunting Spider-Man.
“I think there was something unique about this character, and something grounded,” he said. “We’ve all had enough of seeing certain studio films, a certain kind of pop culture… where they’re churning out stuff that dilutes wanting to go to the cinema. I wouldn’t have signed onto it if I felt there wasn’t something to really bring to life with this character.”
Check out the action-packed trailer below:
Directed by J.C. Chandor, Kraven The Hunter also stars Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, and Christopher Abbott.
One of a handful of Rated-R comic book films, Sony is rumored to be confident that the violent film with match the success of the popular Venom films.
“You just think, ‘What the f*** have I just read?’ That’s the kind of character I’m playing. But then, a lot of the people who grew up with Marvel are old enough now to watch an R-rated movie,” Johnson told Rolling Stone.
“Taking on a Sony/Marvel movie is a different challenge altogether,” he continues. “There’s the story, the character, the role; that’s one thing. But then you also step into a world where you’re dealing with a studio and a franchise — or possible franchises, though let’s not get ahead of ourselves. So, they’re rolling the dice on me, in a sense, which is a lovely thing. But you’ve got to appease the studio, please the audience and do what’s dignified for you as an actor. I find all of that super challenging.”
Kraven The Hunter roars into theaters Dec. 13, 2024.