Aaron Taylor-Johnson played the title character in Kick-Ass and later starred as Avengers: Age of Ultron's Quicksilver in a one-off appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite moving away from blockbuster fare in recent years, it's fair to say the actor is no stranger to superhero movies, and he'll next take on the lead role in Sony Pictures' Kraven the Hunter.
Kraven, a character considered one of Spider-Man's greatest foes, is an unexpected choice to get his own spinoff, and it sounds like we can expect this movie to explore his origin story.
"It’s like you’re coming at it from the physical aspect, because that’s what you can see from a comic book," Taylor-Johnson said of how he's preparing to play Kraven. "You go, 'Oh, he looks like that, so I have to look like that.' You see that and then you start to backtrack and dig deeper, and go, 'This is where he originates from, then he has this relationship and that relationship…' You just hope that you’re going to portray something that you can bring to life."
There is, again, room for an interpretation and you want to be able to bring something and let it pop off the page. It’s another new challenge, we talk about putting yourself under pressure all the time," the actor continued. "I don’t step away from controversial shit, I don’t know what it is, but I’m always drawn to the thing that might actually give me a f****** stroke!"
Kraven does have a pretty interesting history in the Marvel Universe, so expanding on that by delving into his family's dynamic and possibly even his fascination with big game hunting could lead this story to some exciting places. Of course, most fans will be far more invested in seeing the villain clash with Spider-Man, but only time will tell whether that's the ultimate plan for the character.
Taylor-Johnson concluded by sharing an update on how work is progressing on Kraven the Hunter, saying: "I’m good! I’m in England, I’m not in London but just outside, close to the production office [for Kraven the Hunter]. I’m staying here because I’ve got a bunch of stunt training to do for this movie, so the director and I are bunking up for the next couple of weeks."
Kraven the Hunter is set to be released in theaters on January 13, 2023.