Kraven the Hunter is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes, going so far as to gun the web-slinger down and bury him alive. He's a character who has always pushed Peter Parker to his limits and is an undeniably fearsome villain, so it obviously makes perfect sense to portray him as an anti-hero in a solo movie.
Right?!
Like it or not, that's the plan at Sony Pictures with 2023's Kraven the Hunter, and Avengers: Age of Ultron and Bullet Train star Aaron Taylor-Johnson will play the title character.
That's an impressive bit of casting, though this wouldn't exactly be the first time an A-Lister has been roped into Sony's Marvel Universe. The difference, however, is that Taylor-Johnson has already been part of the MCU after playing Quicksilver, and he has a strong opinion on what makes Kraven the Hunter different to any other Marvel movie we've seen.
"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 says. "It also sets Kraven apart from that Marvel stage look. It’s important for this character to be in the real world. "
"It’s important for the authenticity of the story. When you’re running on streets barefoot, you take in those elements and play within that."
We wouldn't necessarily say MCU movies have a "stage look," but Taylor-Johnson's observation is a valid one. A movie being shot entirely on location can make a world of difference, and we're certainly intrigued by the scale of this origin story for Kraven. Again, it's hard to see the point without Spider-Man, but there's always a chance he'll take aim at a different wall-crawler.
All we ask is that the movie doesn't end with The Vulture and Morbius showing up to offer Kraven the chance to join a team and "do some good."
Kraven the Hunter is set to be released in theaters on January 13, 2023.
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