Summary

  • The long-awaited Kraven the Hunter solo film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe has finally begun filming after years of delays, and new footage and story details have been revealed.
  • The movie, set to be released on August 30, 2024, will showcase Kraven the Hunter as a unique and deadly villain, and the trailer teases his brutal takedowns and the introduction of another Spider-Man villain, Rhino.
  • While it's uncertain if Kraven will cross over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are Easter eggs in Morbius that suggest a connection, and the growing bond between Marvel Studios and Sony could open up possibilities for future crossovers in the MCU.

2023's Kraven the Hunter solo film set in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) has been in development for several years, even before the debut of Tom Holland as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After years of delays, filming for the Sony movie finally commenced in 2022 in Europe. Kraven the Hunter will be the next in Sony's live-action slate of upcoming Marvel movies centered on the origin stories of villains and antiheroes from Spider-Man's comics history, starting with 2018's Venom, starring Tom Hardy in the titular role, the 2021 sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and 2022's reviled Morbius, starring Jared Leto as the Living Vampire.

After the release of Morbius brought the second of Spider-Man's villains to the big screen, Sony was eager to get the ball rolling on Kraven the Hunter. While Sergei Kravinoff, a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter, is one of Spider-Man's deadliest foes, he's also one of the most unique - something already reflected in Kraven the Hunter's announced cast of characters. As such, the impressive hunter is the perfect choice to receive a live-action adaptation in theaters, and though many details of Kraven's jump to the big screen are being kept tightly under wraps, new footage and story details reveal more about Aaron Taylor-Johnson's upcoming SSU project.

Related: Why Kraven the Hunter Was Delayed By Almost A Year Explained

The Latest Kraven The Hunter News

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter trailer

The first trailer for Kraven the Hunter released June 19, 2023, providing audiences an insight into what the movie will look like. The release window for the movie was also altered, with various rescheduling finally landing the Sony film an August 30, 2024, release date.

The first footage for Kraven the Hunter was revealed to audiences at Sony Pictures' presentation at 2023's CinemaCon, which confirmed previous casting announcements and started to uncover more about the storyline for the upcoming film, as well as confirming the film's R-rating, a departure from previous properties in the SSU. The footage shown at CinemaCon featured Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven picking up a comic-accurate costume, complete with fur lining, and brutally taking down several enemies. It also teased another Spider-Man villain, Rhino. Taylor-Johnson has signed on for multiple features, so audiences could see him in more Spider-Man-related properties in the future.

Kraven The Hunter Release Date

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven with costume in Kraven the Hunter trailer

Though it faced several delays and was rescheduled, Kraven the Hunter is slated for release on August 30, 2024, having been moved back from a prior October 6, 2023 release, likely due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Kraven the Hunter is directed by J.C. Chandor (who also directed Netflix's Triple Frontier), with the script coming from Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk. Kraven the Hunter is Sony's fourth villain project, following Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Morbius. Sony has a variety of other projects on the way, including the animated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Madame Web, and Venom 3.

Kraven The Hunter Cast

Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, and Ariana DeBose in Kraven the Hunter

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to superhero roles, having played the titular hero in 2010's Kick-Ass and appearing as the MCU's Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. While there's still been no confirmation that Spider-man will be making an appearance in the movie, Christopher Abbot has been cast as the Foreigner, Fred Hechinger will play Dmitri Smerdyakov, a.k.a. the Chameleon, and Ariana DeBose will assume the role of Calypso, a voodoo priestess and Kraven's love-interest.

Related: 10 Reasons Venom Is The Best Sony Spider-Man Universe Movie

After revealing new footage for Kraven the Hunter at 2023's CinemaCon, Sony confirmed that Russell Crowe was cast as Kraven's father, with the movie trailer since showing a glimpse at the role. Alessandro Nivola has also been cast as iconic Spider-Man villain Rhino, who was previously portrayed by Paul Giamatti in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This version of the Rhino will have a comic-accurate costume rather than the modernized metal suit. Levi Miller of Pan, A Wrinkle in Time, and Supergirl fame will also take part in Kraven the Hunter in an undisclosed role.

Kraven The Hunter Story Details

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff in Kraven the Hunter poster and trailer

While the exact plot details of Kraven the Hunter are still under wraps, Sony's CinemaCon footage reveals that Taylor-Johnson will be suiting up as the infamous hunter and will go up against several foes. This is solidified by the Kraven The Hunter trailer, which shows a young version of the character seemingly gaining his powers, and using them to brutalize his enemies. Following the poor reception to the PG-13 Morbius, Sony seems to be embracing the idea of an R-rated project, and Kraven the Hunter will follow in the footsteps of films such as Deadpool and Joker, allowing the hunter to work in very violent ways, including biting the nose off of one enemy's face. Writer Richard Wenk previously revealed that Marvel Comics' Kraven's Last Hunt storyline would be the inspiration for the film.

Related: How Likely Every Movie Spider-Man Is To Join Sony's Marvel Universe

During this storyline in Marvel Comics, Kraven hunts down Spider-Man, seemingly kills him, and assumes the role of Spider-Man for himself in an effort to prove he can do it better. Speaking to the Discussing Film podcast (video no longer available), Richard Wenk stated that he'd love to see Kraven and Spider-Man come face-to-face, though this seems unlikely as Spider-Man 4 is in development at Marvel Studios, and Sony hasn't revealed a new actor as the web-slinger for the SSU. It's more likely that Kraven the Hunter will detail the villain's origin story, allowing Spider-Man to be featured in a sequel, as Wenk has mentioned the possibility of Kraven the Hunter being a two-part narrative.

Kraven The Hunter Trailer

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter

Kraven the Hunter's trailer was released June 19, 2023, and provided a better understanding of what the movie itself would be about. Based on this trailer, Kraven the Hunter appears to be an origin story for the character, who is depicted more as an anti-hero than his traditional supervillain setup. However, this may be more reflective of the fact that the trailer details Sergei's traumatic childhood and subsequent desires for revenge, as the final movie could well showcase a more morally void characterization. Crucially, the timeline of the movie has Kraven's childhood set in modern times, suggesting elements of his backstory will see drastic changes.

Could Kraven The Hunter Connect To The MCU?

Spider-Man, Kraven, and Venom

With new details surfacing about Kraven the Hunter, there is speculation that the film could somehow connect to the version of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Holland's Peter Parker has already taken part in his own trilogy in the MCU, comprising Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home, and has appeared in a variety of team-up films also. However, he hasn't crossed over with the SSU - at least not yet - so it's less likely that Kraven will be introduced into the MCU, and almost definite that Kraven the Hunter will be set in the same universe as Venom and Morbius.

Morbius featured Easter eggs that alluded to Spider-Man villains, including Rhino, Black Cat, and Chameleon, making this link seem even more solid. However, this doesn't mean that Kraven could never cross over into the MCU, as the bond between Marvel Studios and Sony seems to be growing stronger, with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse directly referencing the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Sony Spider-Men and their villains appear in the MCU Phase 4 film also. It's possible that these villains, often depicted as antiheroes, could make their way to the MCU in Avengers: Secret Wars, which would be a great next step for Taylor-Johnson following Kraven the Hunter.

Key Release Dates