The debut trailer for Sony’s upcoming film, “Kraven the Hunter,” offers an intriguing first glimpse of “Bullet Train” and “Kick-Ass” star, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, in the role of Marvel’s antihero, Sergei Kravinoff, also known as Kraven. This release, showcased as part of the ongoing CinemaCon event, extends Sony Pictures Releasing’s universe of Spider-Man antiheroes and villains…minus Spider-Man, of course. You can catch the newly released trailer for “Kraven the Hunter” below.
Under the direction of J.C. Chandor (“Triple Frontier,” “A Most Violent Year”), and a screenplay by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk, “Kraven the Hunter” is set to narrate the origin of the Marvel character. Conceived by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for “The Amazing Spider-Man #15” in 1964, Sergei Kravinoff grew up in Russia during the Russian Revolution.
After spending time in Kenya, he developed a fondness for hunting. When a mysterious herbal potion amplified his strength, speed, and senses, Kraven lost interest in big game hunting and turned his focus to Spider-Man, culminating in an obsessive pursuit of the friendly neighborhood web-slinger.
As with Venom and Morbius, Kraven will undergo a transformation as he transitions from comic book to screen. Thus, Kraven will align with Venom and Morbius as a distorted avenger, portraying the comic book character in a more antiheroic light rather than the notorious supervillain he is commonly depicted as.
It’s worth noting that Kraven The Hunter does not have superpowers, a massive divergence from his comic book origin and seems to get his powers after a lion mauls him. That’s all fine and dandy till Kraven runs and hops on walls on all fours like a cat. Or just like Morbius, for some reason, did it.
WARNING: the trailer is very gory and is not suitable to all audiences.
The title role in “Kraven the Hunter” will be portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The “Tenet” star will be joined in this Sony venture by Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) as Calypso, Fred Hechinger (“The Pale Blue Eye”) as Dmitri Smerdyakov aka Chameleon, alongside Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, Levi Miller, and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe.
Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has hinted at how “Kraven the Hunter” will stand out from the rest of the Marvel universe, largely due to on-location shooting and personal storytelling.
“Kraven being shot entirely on location is going to make all the difference. It’s going to add something really beautiful to our personal story,” he explained. He added that the film’s real-world settings will set Kraven apart from the typical Marvel stage look and underscore the authenticity of the story.
Co-star Russell Crowe has also teased the dark undertones of “Kraven the Hunter,” revealing, “I’ve talked to J.C. Chandor, the director. He’s really excited about what he’s got in front of him and really excited about the way people will receive it.
I think I can sort of pass on that one of the things he said that it’s just an unexpectedly dark world.”
“Kraven the Hunter” is slated for release in the United States on October 6, 2023. The official poster is available for viewing below.
