Kraven the Hunter, Sony's next big upcoming Marvel movie, is the latest R-rated adaptation of a Marvel title, and it feels like it almost had to be. While nobody needs blood with their comic book movies, Kraven arrives with the requirement of cleansing the taste of Morbius out of audiences' palates.
Kraven stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who you may remember played Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Now, Taylor-Johnson's shedding the speed and mutant powers of Wanda Maximoff's brother for a bit of fur and a lot of violence.
In the comics, Kraven (real name Sergei Kravinoff) is a big game hunter who seeks to turn Spider-Man into his greatest trophy. Kraven's superhuman abilities (much like The Black Panther's) are derived from a potion made of herbs found in the jungle. He was even a founding member of the Sinister Six, who could be getting their own movie eventually.
We're still waiting on a trailer, but reports of Kraven the Hunter footage screened at at CinemaCon reveal a bit of what to expect. And that includes another famous Spider-Man villain.
Kraven the Hunter release date and reschedule
Kraven the Hunter will debut in theaters on October 6, 2023. It will be available to watch in IMAX.
This is the second scheduled release date for Kraven the Hunter, which was originally supposed to come out on January 13, 2023. No reasons have been provided for the delay, nor have rumors come out.
Kraven the Hunter is definitely rated-R
For anyone who has questions about how violent Kraven will get, Taylor Johnson has words for you. Variety notes that the star told CinemaCon (via a pre-recorded tape), "F**k yeah, it will be rated R!"
In the footage screened at the event, the movie clearly earns its rating, as Kraven was shown to shred "his victims viscerally, often with primitive claw-shaped weapons." On top of that, Kraven "rips the flesh off a target’s neck with his teeth and spits it out," in a moment where blood "pours freely over the screen."
Kraven the Hunter villain and Rhino news
Kraven, much like Sony Marvel movie protagonist Morbius before him, is a villain. So, there's some curiosity as to who will be the main enemy for this bad guy's movie.
A Deadline report in March 2022 may be the key to figuring that out. Sources told the outlet that Christopher Abbott (Girls) will play Spider-Man villain The Foreigner — who would be the main antagonist of the film. The Foreigner was an assassin in the comic books, and he has no superhuman abilities.
But that's not the only villain coming to Kraven, so The Foreigner may not be the ultimate big-bad for this outing. IGN reports that footage showed at CinemaCon 2023 revealed Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark, Jurassic Park III) as iconic Spider-Man villain Rhino. Specifically, the footage showed "the skin on his arm ... transform into rhino skin."
Kraven the Hunter cast info
Kraven the Hunter seems to have a solid cast, starting with lead Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular fur-donning hunter. Here's the confirmed and reported cast list:
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven, aka Sergei Kravinoff
- Russell Crowe as Kraven's father (confirmed by IGN)
- Ariana DeBose as Calypso (reported by Deadline)
- Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Smerdyakov / Chameleon, Kraven's half-brother (also via Deadline)
- Christopher Abbott as The Foreigner
- Alessandro Nivola as Rhino
- Levi Miller in an unannounced role
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