With Kraven the Hunter set to stalk its way into theaters this weekend, Sony Pictures has released another TV spot featuring some gruesome new footage of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's beast man doling out violent justice.
Box office predictions for Sony's latest SSU adventure are not particularly optimistic, but if the movie does prove to be a surprise hit, director J.C. Chandor wants to adapt the character's most famous comic book story, Kraven's Last Hunt.
"As crazy as it seemed, and there were a lot of challenges, there was the opportunity to structure it as a classic origin story, but not a hero’s story, or a classic superhero story," the filmmaker tells Collider. "It’s essentially this building of a villain. The final piece in that, for Aaron and for me, was in Kraven’s Last Hunt, which, if this thing works and is a success, that’s where we’d have this story end. It’s obviously very tragic and sad. The journey getting there is a wild crazy ride with a lot of fun, but the character we’re trying to create is one who could realistically, if this film is a success, end with Last Hunt. That, as a storyteller, can sit right on the shelves with the rest of my movies."
Kraven's Last Hunt without Spider-Man? If the movie does happen, let's hope Chandor has the wall-crawler at his disposal!
Taylor-Johnson also suggested that Kraven might wind up a full-on villain by the end of the movie during a recent interview.
"I mean, it's very much the question to everyone else really, right? Because I think what we've done, what we've set up in this story is a really rich character that definitely has the legs to go on and do more damage. I think he should go toe-to-toe with some superheroes that we know. One of my favorite stories is Kraven's Last Hunt. It was one of the source materials I used to go back from. He's got some dark demons there and we are basically showing the birth of that and how he becomes a villain that we then come to know. So really come see this movie, man. Come see this movie. I promise you it won't disappoint. It's got all the beats that you want and more. I think it could be an audience’s sort of villain favorite, definitely go toe-to-toe with some other people down the line, man."
Getting as many people into the theater as possible is obviously a huge priority for Sony, but it might not be so easy after the likes of Morbius and Madame Web were so widely ridiculed.
The first 8 minutes of Kraven were officially released online last week. Check out the clip below along with the new TV spot.
“Kraven the Hunter is the visceral story about how and why one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Set before his notorious vendetta with Spider-Man, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the titular character in the R-rated film.”
Kraven the Hunter is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is intended to be the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film was directed by J. C. Chandor and written by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk.
In addition to Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the title role, Ariana DeBose will play Calypso, a voodoo priestess and Kraven's on-off love interest (in the comics, at least); Fred Hechinger is Dmitri Smerdyakov, aka the Chameleon, who is Kraven's half-brother; Alessandro Nivola will play Aleksei Sytsevich, aka the Rhino, and Christopher Abbott will portray another villain known as the Foreigner.
Sony's next "SMU" movie has been rated R for "Strong bloody violence, and language."