Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter may be the next two Spider-Man villain to get standalone films if Sony has it their way. Despite teaming up with Marvel Studios to bring Tom Holland's Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony has continued to move forward with plans of their own bootleg universe. It will all begin next year with the release of Venom starring Tom Hardy, directed by Ruben Fleischer, and featuring Carnage, but will evolve further with Silver & Black directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
It has been no secret that Sony wants more than just these two films - and possible franchises - to ride on the coattails of Spider-Man and his approaching solo film Spider-Man: Homecoming. While no concrete details are in place, it appears Sony is also planning to give Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter spinoffs next.
THR did an extensive piece on Sony chairman Tom Rothman and their plans for the Spidey spinoffs. When discussing the idea of future spinoffs, the article casually drops Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter as two potential spinoffs. Since no other spinoff plans were discussed, it would appear as though the two villains would be next in line for solo films.
Sony's interest in spinning-off villains as leads is certainly a different approach to take in building a universe. They previously showed a rushed approach to building a universe in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as it spent a great deal of time setting up a Sinister Six movie that never was made. If that idea is still something they want to play with, introducing each potential member in solo movies is unique if nothing else.
However, whereas Venom, Black Cat, and Silver Sable have been shown with some level of heroism in the comics, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter have mainly been treated as villains and nothing else. Putting either of the two in leading roles would create a difficult task for the film to show them in their truly villainous ways, but also make them somewhat sympathetic so audiences can root for them in the spinoffs.
Even if both films are being discussed right now, there is no telling whether or not they see the light of day. Fans of these characters are ready for both to be big baddies in future Spider-Man standalones, but not as much as leading men. Plus, Sony has yet to even start production on their first spinoff, so planning their third and fourth ideas may be premature right now. Not to mention, fans are just as confused as Kevin Feige and are waiting to see if these are adjuncts to the MCU or in their own universe. In either instance, it is unclear how well Mysterio and Kraven would serve as spinoff candidates.
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Source: THR
