Excitement for Kraven the Hunter appears relatively muted among comic book readers, though its R-Rating has at least piqued the interest of violent action movie fans. Of course, when a title leans too much into that, it runs the risk of feeling schlocky.
While the Sony Pictures movie has already received an R-Rating in the U.S. for "strong bloody violence, and language," it appears we can expect it to be a hard R.
The British Board of Film Classification has just rated a new Kraven the Hunter trailer "18," a strong indication that the movie itself will boast the same rating (if it were a "15," then common sense says the trailer would be as well because it's not like Sony is going to spend money upping the violence for a sneak peek).
This means that, in the UK, no one under the age of 18 will be able to watch Kraven the Hunter. It's rare for a movie to be slapped with an "18" rating, and it obviously limits the number of moviegoers who are able to buy a ticket.
Deadpool & Wolverine was a "15", which is typically considered the equivalent of an R (the difference, however, is that children are not allowed to attend a screening with an adult). An "18," on the other hand, is basically an NC-17.
"I’m extremely proud of the work we have all done together on Kraven, and when the movie finally gets its chance to be seen I think it’s gonna surprise the hell out of a lot of people," filmmaker J.C. Chandor previously said.
"Sony probably doesn’t want me to lead with this, but the story is a tragedy," he added. "When the final credits roll on this film, if you’ve been paying attention, you won’t have the feeling that this is all going to end great."
A new trailer for Kraven the Hunter is expected to be released any day now, so stay tuned for updates.
Kraven the Hunter is the visceral, action-packed origin story of how and why one of Marvel's most iconic villains came to be.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Directed by J.C. Chandor from a story by Richard Wenk and a screenplay by Richard Wenk and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, Kraven the Hunter is based on the Marvel Comics and produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and David Householter.
The cast is led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe.
Kraven the Hunter arrives in theaters on December 13.