After Jared Leto’s superhero debut in Morbius, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is set to produce more movies and the next one is already in the works. Finally released on April 1, the movie introduces Dr. Michael Morbius, the Living Vampire of the Marvel comics. Morbius was met with bad reviews, unfortunately, with critics pointing out its lack of coherence and structure and its ultimate failure to live up to the hype. Regardless, Sony already has a slate of films to follow its latest superhero release.
Morbius is the third entry of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe — a franchise focused on the characters associated with Spider-Man. Originally, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the supposed springboard for several spin-off films about Spider-Man villains. However, with the critical and box-office disappointment of Marc Webb’s sequel, those plans were abandoned. As Sony collaborated with Marvel to allow Spider-Man’s entry into the MCU, the studio also developed their own shared universe, beginning with Venom. Although Venom was negatively reviewed, it was still a box-office success, inspiring sequels and other Spider-Man universe movies.
The next Spider-Man universe movie is Kraven the Hunter, scheduled for release on January 13, 2023. Directed by J.C. Chandor, the film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular big-game hunter. While Sony had initially considered other actors for the role, such as Keanu Reeves, John David Washington, and Adam Driver, the studio executives immediately cast Taylor-Johnson after seeing early footage of him in the 2022 film Bullet Train. Rounding up the cast announced so far are Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, Russell Crowe, Fred Hechinger, and Ariana DeBose.
After Kraven the Hunter, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe still has plans to expand. Morbius writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless are set to work on Madame Web. Dakota Johnson will portray the lead character alongside Sydney Sweeney, speculated to play Black Cat. Along with those projects, rumors of a film based on the Sinister Six have been revived following its cancellation years ago. Morbius’ post-credits scene also sets this up, with Vulture being transported to another universe and suggesting a team-up with Morbius himself. A third Venom movie can also be expected since Tom Hardy has signed a three-picture deal with Sony and Andy Serkis has expressed interest in returning to direct.
Prior to the announcement of Kraven the Hunter’s solo film, the character has already been considered as a villain against Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. In fact, before Spider-Man: No Way Home was officially revealed in 2019, director Jon Watts wanted to introduce Kraven in his next film. Ultimately, the idea was scrapped in favor of the multiverse concept. Nevertheless, Kraven the Hunter, which can flip his origins in the comics, is now set for release, so long as it will not encounter delays like Morbius.
