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Kraven the Hunter is now available on Digital platforms, meaning you can experience Sergei Kravinoff's origin story at home. A deleted scene has just dropped to mark the occasion and, well, it leaves us with much to discuss.

It opens with the gangster-hunting anti-hero sleeping in a London park before being woken up by a police officer. British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who uses an American accent in the movie, has what sounds like an oddly fake English accent as he attempts to convince the cop to leave him to his rest.

With that, Kraven shows off Flash-like superhuman speed as he races into action to save the office from being taken out by...a bicycle. Of course, Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to speedsters after previously playing the McU's Quicksilver.

It's not a good scene and that's probably why it was left on the cutting room floor. The biggest takeaway is...

Kraven the Hunter is available on Digital today and will be released on SteelBook 4K, 4K Ulra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 4.

The latest entry in Sony’s Spider-Man universe serves as a standalone origin story for the Marvel supervillain, which was created in 1964 by comic legends Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Kraven with Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe as Kraven’s ruthless father.

J.C. Chandor (Triple Frontier) directs from a script by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway (Iron Man) and Richard Wenk (The Equalizer).

Special Features:

Becoming Kraven Beast Mode: The Stunts of the Hunt Kraven’s First Hunt: The Direction Allies & Antagonists: The Killer Cast Deleted & Extended Scenes Outtakes & Bloopers

In the film, “Kraven’s complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world,...

2024 wasn't a great year for superhero movies, but an R-Rated Kraven the Hunter at least had the potential to end things on a positive note. It didn't.

As expected, Sony Pictures delivered another critical and commercial flop; Spider-Man was nowhere to be found in Kraven's goofy origin story, with the villain instead becoming a gangster-hunting anti-hero with daddy issues. He did, however, battle Rhino in the movie's final act.

In a bid to pay homage to that character's comic book appearance, he became a mutant, of sorts. Unfortunately, even that didn't really work. Not only is he far too small but the cartoonish design makes one of Spidey's most formidable enemues look like a leftover from a 2005 comic book movie.

A clip of Kraven and Rhino's battle has been receiving a lot of attention on social media over the past 24 hours, largely for how ridiculous it all looks.

As we told you earlier today, Kraven the Hunter arrive on Digital platforms starting tomorrow, January 14. Now, it's been confirmed that the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD drops on March 4, the same day Daredevil: Born Again premieres on Disney+.

Which of the R-Rated Marvel Comics adaptations will you choose to watch first? While one of Elektra's sai is on some newly revealed artwork, the Man Without Fear is likely to be a bigger draw than Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Spider-Man villain.

With this news of a Blu-ray release comes a full list of special features; we don't have specifics on those deleted scenes, though we can't imagine that scrapped Venom: The Last Dance crossover will be among them.

The biggest shock might be the fact Sony Pictures found not one but two positive quotes to stick on the Blu-ray's front and back covers...

Special Features - 4K Uhd, Blu-ray...

If you decided to skip Kraven the Hunter in theaters, you'll be able to check out Sony Pictures' latest (possibly final) Ssu adventure when it arrives on Digital tomorrow before heading to 4K Uhd, Blu-ray & DVD on March 4.

To mark the release, IGN has debuted an exclusive 5-minute clip which spotlights one of the movie's most exciting action sequences, as Kraven (Aaron Taylor Johnson) chases down a group of mercenaries who have kidnapped his brother Dmitri (Fred Hechinger).

It's advertised as a red-band clip, but to be honest, there's really only one instance of violence and it's not particularly graphic.

In this exclusive clip from Kraven The Hunter, arriving on Digital on January 14, Aaron Taylor-Johnson races through the streets of London. pic.twitter.com/0mvnWf9efc

— IGN (@IGN) January 13, 2025

During a recent interview, Alessandro Nivola, who plays the villainous Aleksei Sytsevich/Rhino, was asked about the film's negative reception.

“I...

Alessandro Nivola currently finds himself in the rare position of garnering acclaim for his performance in one movie (The Brutalist), and being widely panned for his turn in another (Kraven the Hunter).

Sony's latest (likely final) Ssu movie received dismal reviews, and was another box office bomb for the studio. Nivola, who plays the villainous Aleksei Sytsevich/Rhino, was asked about the negative reception during an interview with THR.

“I really don’t know what happened behind the scenes. On these kinds of movies, you hear about all the wranglings at the studio, and maybe there were too many chefs. I don’t know,” said the actor. “I don’t know enough about what the process was beyond just my experience of being on set, which was really joyful. So I didn’t have any sense of there being problems behind the scenes. But a lot of that probably...

Though there might still be some life in Sony Pictures' Ssu, the franchise will be getting a major overhaul (at the very least) following the abysmal box office performance of the latest Spider-Man-less Spider-Man spin-off, Kraven the Hunter.

We're not sure how much any new take on the Ssu would actually be improved, however, as it doesn't sound like the studio's CEO is willing to admit that the quality of the movies has anything to do with them flopping at the Bo.

While speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra admitted that Kraven is “probably the worst launch we had” in the nearly eight years he’s been at the studio. “I still don’t understand," he added. "Because the film is not a bad film.”

The movie's 15% Rotten Tomatoes score would suggest that the majority of critics would disagree.

The Spider-Man films aside, none of...

CGI critters are set to do battle at the box office this weekend, as Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 races into theaters alongside Disney's The Lion King prequel.

The Sonic threequel got off to a better start on preview night, taking in $6.5 million on Thursday. Mufasa only managed $3 million, but is expected to have a stronger opening weekend worldwide.

According to the latest estimates, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is looking at around $55 million to $60 million domestically. Mufasa is on track for $50 million in North America, but will likely reign supreme internationally with $130 million overseas for a $180 million global debut (Sonic doesn't open internationally until Christmas Day).

As for Sony Pictures' Kraven the Hunter, the latest (and possibly final) Ssu movie has only just passed the $30 million mark worldwide since arriving in theaters on December 13. We knew the Spider-Man-less Spider-Man spin-off would need a Christmas miracle to avoid becoming another...

Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Alessandro Nivola, Fred Hechinger, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Levi Miller | Written by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway | Directed by J.C. Chandor

Kraven the Hunter was positioned as a darker, grittier entry in Sony’s knockoff Spider-Man Universe, exploring the origin story of one of Spider-Man’s most fearsome foes. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on nearly every front, leaving me somewhat disappointed and questioning the purpose of its very existence. Here, I am going to gleefully breakdown some of the film’s shortcomings.

A Script That Hunts Itself

The screenplay is the heart of any film, and Kraven the Hunter suffers from a muddled and uninspired script. Instead of crafting a compelling origin story, the narrative feels like a collection of generic tropes borrowed from better films. It awkwardly attempts (and fails) to balance Kraven’s tragic backstory with some not exactly subtle environmental themes,...

Spider-Man, arguably Marvel Comics' most iconic and recognizable character, was off limits to Marvel Studios for many years, until an unprecedented deal was struck with Sony Pictures.

This agreement allowed both studios to share the wall-crawler within the MCU, starting with 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. As part of the deal, Kevin Feige and former Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal produced the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films for Sony Pictures, and although it worked out very well for both parties, it did keep Holland’s Peter Parker from any Sony projects that aren’t officially part of the MCU.

We recently learned that the partnership "never precluded Sony from using Spider-Man in its movies that didn’t bear his name," but there was "a feeling within the studio that audiences would not accept Holland’s Spidey suddenly popping up in a live-action film that wasn...

Worldwide box office December 13-15 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Moana 2(Disney) $83.8m $717m $57.2m $379.5m 53 2. Wicked(Universal) $44m $525m $21.5m $165.9m 82 3. Pushpa: The Rule - Part 2 (various) $29.2m $166.8m $27.6m $154m 37 4. Kraven The Hunter(Sony) $26m $26m $15m $15m 61 5. Gladiator II(Paramount) $17.5m $398.5m $9.7m $252.6m 66 6. The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim(Warner Bros) $8.6m $10.3m $4m $5.7m 73 7. Her Story(various) $7.1m $88.1m $7.1m $87.7m 8 8. Red One(Warner Bros) $6.8m $175.3m $2.3m $82.6m 76 9. The Last Dance(various) $6.6m $29.6m $6.6m $29.3m 8 10. Cells At Work!(Warner Bros...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker for Wbgr-fm on December 12th, reviewing “Kraven the Hunter,” the latest Marvel epic not from Disney but from Sony Studios. In theaters since December 13th.

Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his brother Dmitri (Fred Hechinger) are raised to never show fear by their ruthless Russian oligarch father Nikolai (Russell Crowe). On a big game safari, Sergei is mauled by a lion, and through circumstance their blood mixes while Sergei drinks a healing elixir. He emerges with the lion’s strength, agility and senses as heightened superpowers, and becomes Kraven The Hunter, protector of nature and the animal kingdom.

”Kraven the Hunter” is in theaters since December 13h. Featuring Russell Crowe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Adriana DeBose. Screenplay by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Directed by J.C. Chandor. Rated “R...

Sony Pictures may not be giving up on the Ssu after all.

Earlier this week, we heard that the studio had pretty much called it a day with the Spider-Man spin-off franchise after the negative reception (both critically and commercially) of the latest instalment, Kraven the Hunter, but it sounds like they might be planning to forge ahead after making some major changes.

According to Deadline, Sony is "taking this misfire very seriously," and "has a reset in store."

We're not sure what this means for the projects that were either already in development or being discussed, but wouldn't be at all surprised if the studio went back to the drawing board and scrapped any ideas that may have been in place.

Is a franchise focused on Spider-Man characters without the iconic wall-crawler something even worth attempting to salvage? Many fans would say no, but there's no denying the success of the Venom trilogy.

Kraven the Hunter is going to need a Christmas miracle if it hopes to avoid becoming the latest Ssu movie to bomb at the box office.

The latest (possibly final) Spider-Man-less Spider-Man spin-off from Sony Pictures debuted behind already low expectations, taking the at No. 3 spot at the domestic box office with just $11 million from 3,211 theaters. This marks the worst opening for one of the studio's Ssu movies, behind even notorious misfire Madame Web ($15.3 million).

Kraven did receive slightly better reviews than Madame Web (11%) with a still abysmal 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, and also earned a C grade on CinemaScore.

The Ssu is actually the only major superhero movie franchise with every instalment hit with a "Rotten" score on the review aggregator. Venom: Let There be Carnage came closest to getting a "Fresh" score with 57%.

Kraven the Hunter reportedly cost an upward of $110 million to produce (the budget is said to...

Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Alessandro Nivola, Fred Hechinger, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Levi Miller | Written by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway | Directed by J.C. Chandor

A beefed-up Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars in this superhero action thriller, the sixth and reportedly final entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (Ssu), following Morbius, Madame Web and the three Venom movies. As such, it’s not without its moments, but the action is largely generic and the exact nature of Kraven’s anti-hero status muddies the water a little bit.

Directed by J.C. Chandor, Kraven the Hunter starts well, with Kraven (Taylor-Johnson) infiltrating a Russian prison and then violently murdering a notorious gang boss by stabbing him in the neck with a sharp tooth from his own sabre tooth tiger rug. One swift prison break later – with Kraven displaying heightened abilities, including some familiar wall-crawling – and we’re off into flashback territory,...

Kraven the Hunter is now in theaters, and things are not looking good for Sony Pictures' latest (and likely final) Ssu movie.

Setting aside the dismal reviews (the movie is currently sitting at 14% on Rotten Tomatoes), updated box office estimates point to another flop for the studio, which makes the chances of a face-off with Spider-Man (if there ever was any) in a future film highly unlikely.

Even so, director J.C. Chandor and star Aaron Taylor-Johnson have shown interest in returning for an adaptation of Kraven's Last Hunt, and that's something Ariana DeBose really wants for her co-star.

“This is meant to be a standalone film and an origin story, but I do think Kraven deserves that epic showdown with Spider-Man,” DeBose told Variety. “There’s literally a whole comic about it. Give the people what they want. I think they should do that. And if there’s space...

Kraven the Hunter is finally upon us after multiple delays. The bar for Sony’s Spider-Villain universe movies is pretty low, as the most successful movies in this universe have been the Venom series, which are still not the most well-received. However, Kraven has an uphill battle being in the company of online punching bags — Morbius and Madame Web. Those films were unanimously panned and even the director, J.C. Chandor, wants to wash away the bad taste of those attempts, “People have got to give us a chance and come out and support this film, and literally try to wash away some of the other stuff that’s happened. Give our film a chance.“

So, now that Kraven the Hunter is out, what did you think of it? Our own Chris Bumbray had higher hopes for this one but came away disappointed when he said in his review, “Kraven the...

Spider-Man has to show up in one of these Spider-Man spin-off movies... right?

As reasonable as it may be to assume that Sony must have been building towards an appearance from the Webhead in their "Sony's Spider-Man Universe" (Ssu) franchise, we saw hide nor hair of the iconic Marvel Comics superhero in the Venom trilogy, Morbius, or Madame Web.

The only mention of the character was in Morbius' much-maligned post-credits scene, but there were rumors (as there usually is) that Holland's take on the wall-crawler was set to appear in Kraven the Hunter.

As you probably won't be shocked to learn, Spidey does not swing by for a cameo.

There is one nod to the character, however. Towards the end of the movie, The Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) uses his abilities to torment Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) with his worst fear. Yes, you guessed it, he's arachnophobic.

Director J.C Chandor has...

Filled with enough family upheaval to stuff a John Osborne play and a stellar action turn from star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kraven the Hunter is too beholden to its superhero roots – and too afraid to push its familial drama as far as possible – to get the most out of its disparate pieces.

The choice to make films about Spider-Man villains without the man himself has been fraught and unproductive so far (no amount of box office will give the Venom films a soul) as filmmaker after filmmaker has searched for something to fill that web-shaped hole. Director J.C. Chandor, no stranger to character drama, has looked inward to one of Spider-Man’s oldest C-list foes to ask what would a man named Sergei Kravinoff, who dresses in a lion skin suit to hunt dangerous animals, be in this modern world?

The logical answer is a scion of Russian oligarchs and crime bosses.

Poster for ‘Kraven the Hunter’

Remember back when Madam Web came out and we all hoped Sony would do better with its Marvel properties with Kraven the Hunter? Yeah, we need to keep hoping. It seems as if Sony just doesn’t even care about these Marvel movies anymore.

Kraven the Hunter is about a Russian man named Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson from Nosferatu) who survived a lion attack as a boy when a girl named Calypso (Ariana DeBose from I.S.S.) gave him a special elixir. The potion not only saved his life, but gave him incredible strength, speed, and agility. As a grown man, he decides to use these new skills to become Kraven the Hunter, a vigilante who goes after the worst of the worst criminals.

Unfortunately for Kraven, his father, Nikolai (Russell Crowe from The Exorcist), is himself one of these worst of the worst,...

Sony’s Marvel Comics adaptation Kraven the Hunter is set to reach theatres on December 13th. This movie is, along with Morbius, Madame Web, and the Venom trilogy, part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (which was formerly known as the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters), which consists of Marvel adaptations that doesn’t have the creative team of Marvel Studios behind them, so therefore they’re not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony is able to make these films because they own the movie rights to all characters that were originally introduced in the pages of Spider-Man comics. The financial success of the Venom movies aside (and that trilogy has had diminishing returns), these movies haven’t tended to go over well with movie-goers, something which Kraven director J. C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year) has had to address, asking that people give his movie the chance to...

After Sony’s recent Marvel misfires on 2022’s Morbius and this year’s Madame Web, I wasn’t holding out too much hope for yet another Marvel villain origin story when I headed to the press screening of Kraven the Hunter. Its shuffling around the release schedule didn’t give me much hope, and word spread from someone at a rival studio that the exhibitor screening didn’t go well, also dampening my hopes.

But I always try to go into a movie with an open mind, and in this case, although Kraven is a well-known villain in the comic book world and has popped up here and there, a starring movie wasn’t top of my list.

That said, I had a surprisingly good time with this ultraviolent R-rated telling of how a Russian kid, Sergei Kravinoff, grows up to become a fearsome hunter — not of animals, who he spiritually embraces,...

Have you ever arrived at a New Year’s Eve party about 20 minutes or so after the ball has dropped? No matter if things are still raging or starting to break up, there’s a distinct sense that you missed something vital about the event, and that despite how much you or others may try, the air’s already been let out of the room. That’s the sad state currently faced by “Kraven the Hunter,” a movie that releases in theaters mere days after the announcement that the film marks the official end of Sony’s Marvel Universe.

This isn’t an instance of a movie being caught with its cinematic universe pants down, however; the end credits don’t feature a slew of teases for movies that will now never happen. It’s more quietly tragic then that the movie cuts to credits with no mid-credits scene, no post-credits scene,...

Kraven the Hunter marks an end of an era for the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Kraven marks the series’ sixth film, and according to reports, will also be the last. It’s been up and down (mostly down) venture since kicking off with Venom in 2018. Even with the quality issues, it always felt disjointed.

The Venom trilogy accounts for half of the films, while 2024 alone saw three films released. In addition to Kraven, Madame Web came out in February, and Venom: The Last Dance in October. And with Kraven being another forgettable addition, perhaps this is all for the best.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter (2024)/Sony Pictures Releasing The plot

Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has lived his whole life in the overbearing shadow of his father Nikolai (Russell Crowe), a ruthless crime lord. That abrasive and complicated relationship ultimately sets Sergei down a path of vengeance, to become the greatest...

Fun fact: Once upon a time, Ryan Coogler wanted Kraven the Hunter to be one of the main antagonists of Black Panther, intending to recreate a famously intense showdown between T’Challa and Kraven from Christopher Priest’s comics run in the 1990s for the 2018 blockbuster. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that Sony held the rights.

Considering that this is the man who managed to turn a third-stringer like Namor into a violent revolutionary rebuke of colonization, it’s easy to imagine what Coogler might’ve done with Kraven as a supernaturally dangerous, unhinged poacher in Africa. And it would have been easy to do it during J.C. Chandor’s Kraven the Hunter: a shapeless, rudderless, unimaginative bore that fumbles the ball with every single conceivable aspect of the character.

There’s one thing that soars in the film, and it’s Russell Crowe as Kraven’s abusive overlord father,...

There’s an amusing moment midway through the punishingly dull Kraven the Hunter, in which Ariana DeBose — playing a high-powered lawyer linked to a pileup of gangster killings, who flees a team of hitmen in her London office and lands in Siberia — says with a straight face, “I don’t like the feel of this at all.” No kidding. The scene probably wasn’t intended for laughs, but it nonetheless makes you wish director J.C. Chandor and the writers had committed to the silliness of this muddled Marvel villain origin story with a touch more winking humor.

Instead, those hints of a so-bad-it’s-good guilty pleasure are a fleeting tease in an action thriller that spills plenty of blood but never raises the temperature or ignites the excitement. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and his rock-hard abs play the title character with impressive physicality and ace knife skills, but he’s too wooden...

I hate to admit it, but some part of me — certainly not my eyes or ears, but some part of me, at least — is going to miss Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, which the studio is reportedly putting on pause on account of its widespread (and frequently hilarious) creative and commercial failures. Sure, that’s a pretty good reason to rethink an ill-conceived mega-franchise, let alone one that’s named after a character who basically wasn’t allowed to appear in it. And sure, releasing two films as misbegotten as “Madame Web” in the same calendar year is the kind of thing that elevates meme-worthy corporate malfeasance into a subject worthy of a bestselling book about how things went wrong.

But to behold J.C. Chandor’s monumentally goofy “Kraven the Hunter” is to appreciate how refreshing it could be to watch a superhero movie that seemed totally oblivious to the monocultural ecosystem that created it.

Sony’s Marvel Comics adaptation Kraven the Hunter is set to reach theatres on December 13th. This movie is, along with Morbius, Madame Web, and the Venom trilogy, part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (which was formerly known as the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters), which consists of Marvel adaptations that doesn’t have the creative team of Marvel Studios behind them, so therefore they’re not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony is able to make these films because they own the movie rights to all characters that were originally introduced in the pages of Spider-Man comics. The financial success of the Venom movies aside (and that trilogy has had diminishing returns), these movies haven’t tended to go over well with movie-goers, something which Kraven director J. C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year) has had to address, asking that people give his movie the chance to...

Sony Pictures' Kraven the Hunter arrives in theatres on Friday, and updated box office tracking points to an even more disappointing opening weekend than previous estimates suggested.

Kraven was initially expected to take in between $28M and $30M, but now looks set to make between $20M and $25M in North America on a reported budget of $110M. For comparison's sake, Morbius managed to reach $39 million.

We're not writing Kraven off just yet (the movie could perform a lot better overseas), but this is not a great sign for the film or for Sony Pictures' Ssu ("Sony's Spider-Man Universe"). Though the Venom trilogy was successful overall, both Madame Web and Morbius tanked, so if Kraven follows suit, it's difficult to imagine the franchise clinging on much longer - at least without making some major changes.

Bringing a Spider-Man into this Spider-Man-based universe might be an idea?

The first 8 minutes of...

With Kraven the Hunter set to stalk its way into theaters this weekend, Sony Pictures has released another TV spot featuring some gruesome new footage of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's beast man doling out violent justice.

Box office predictions for Sony's latest Ssu adventure are not particularly optimistic, but if the movie does prove to be a surprise hit, director J.C. Chandor wants to adapt the character's most famous comic book story, Kraven's Last Hunt.

"As crazy as it seemed, and there were a lot of challenges, there was the opportunity to structure it as a classic origin story, but not a hero’s story, or a classic superhero story," the filmmaker tells Collider. "It’s essentially this building of a villain. The final piece in that, for Aaron and for me, was in Kraven’s Last Hunt, which, if this thing works and is a success, that’s where...

Kraven the Hunter has a complex relationship with the Sony/Marvel fandom. Since 2018, screenwriter Richard Wenk has been dutiful about creating a movie about the underrated and underexposed anti-hero of the jungle. It's been a roller coaster with this crew, namely for fans of the Sinister Six (more on that later).

The problem is Sony Pictures can't get out of its own way. The timeline has been much longer than expected, and each delay has spiked nerd anxiety. Yet Aaron Taylor-Johnson believes this film "will not disappoint." For that sentiment to deliver, he needs to sift Kraven's disappointment before throwing that out there. Here's why:

In August 2018, Wenk was hired and started writing Kraven the Hunter. Later in the year, Art Marcum (writer for Iron Man and Transformers: The Last Knight) and Matt Holloway (writer for Men in Black: International and Punisher: War Zone) joined the writing team. Two years later,...

It was clear from pretty early on that Sony Pictures had no intention of introducing the Kraven the Hunter we know from the comic books in the studio's upcoming Ssu movie, but could the poacher-killing anti-hero we meet in the film ultimately embrace his darker side and become a full-blown villain?

While speaking to Screen Rant about the movie, star Aaron Taylor-Johnson suggested that we will see Kraven take on a more antagonistic role by the end of the film.

Of course, every villain needs a hero to do battle with, and the Kick-Ass actor also shares his hope to see Kraven face Spider-Man - or some other "superheroes that we know" - in a future project.

"I mean, it's very much the question to everyone else really, right? Because I think what we've done, what we've set up in this story is a really rich character that definitely has...

Sony’s Marvel Comics adaptation Kraven the Hunter is set to reach theatres on December 13th. This movie is, along with Morbius, Madame Web, and the Venom trilogy, part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (which was formerly known as the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters), which consists of Marvel adaptations that doesn’t have the creative team of Marvel Studios behind them, so therefore they’re not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony is able to make these films because they own the movie rights to all characters that were originally introduced in the pages of Spider-Man comics. The financial success of the Venom movies aside, these movies haven’t tended to go over well with movie-goers – and the film’s director, J. C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year) recently asked that people give Kraven the Hunter the chance to wash away the bad taste left by Morbius and Madame Web.

Sony Pictures has brought online the opening eight minutes of Kraven the Hunter. The action thriller will open in theaters on December 13 and tickets are now available.

This film was rated R by the Motion Picture Association for strong bloody violence and language.

The movie, which is part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, is officially described as follows: “Kraven the Hunter is the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how 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.”

The cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe.

J.C. Chandor directed Kraven the Hunter from a...

With Kraven the Hunter less than two weeks away from arriving in theaters after tickets went on sale this past Friday, we'd expected Sony Pictures to release one final trailer for the Marvel Comics adaptation.

Instead, the studio has just dropped the first 8 minutes of the movie!

This is an unprecedented move, and an approach typically reserved for when a major blockbuster arrives on Digital platforms. It appears Sony wants to give fans a better idea of what to expect from Kraven's long-awaited live-action debut and there's plenty of action and blood to be found in this action-packed sneak peek.

In the preview, we follow Kraven as he's transported to prison where he violently takes out some gangsters. Aaron Taylor-Johnson clearly brushed up on his Russian for these scenes, and the Hunter effortlessly makes his escape after showing off the superpowers which make him more than human.

The extended...

Tickets for Kraven the Hunter went on sale this morning for Sony Pictures' next Marvel movie and, well, the studio doesn't appear to be pulling out too many stops for this one. So far, four posters have been released, with IMAX's effort recycling an all-too-familiar piece of imagery.

The other four are a little better and, if nothing else, Aaron Taylor-Johnson certainly looks the part. Beyond that, the expectation is that the similarities between this Kraven and his comic book counterpart will be minimal.

Sony might have accepted that Kraven the Hunter will underperform, particularly when early estimates point to a $20 million opening.

The odds are very much stacked against the movie as it will have to contend with holdovers like Wicked and Moana 2, not to mention the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King the following weekend.

Kraven the Hunter director J.C. Chandor...

Tickets for Kraven the Hunter went on sale this morning for Sony Pictures' next Marvel movie and, well, the studio doesn't appear to be pulling out too many stops for this one. So far, four posters have been released, with IMAX's effort recycling an all-too-familiar piece of imagery.

The other three are a little better and, if nothing else, Aaron Taylor-Johnson certainly looks the part. Beyond that, the expectation is that the similarities between this Kraven and his comic book counterpart will be minimal.

Sony might have accepted that Kraven the Hunter will underperform, particularly when early estimates point to a $20 million opening.

The odds are very much stacked against the movie as it will have to contend with holdovers like Wicked and Moana 2, not to mention the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King the following weekend.

Kraven the Hunter director J.C. Chandor...

Tickets for Kraven the Hunter officially go on sale tomorrow, and might just be accompanied by a final trailer for the movie. For now, Sony Pictures has released two TV spots featuring some action-packed new footage.

The teasers include more of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's vengeful beast-man doling out violent justice, and we also get a couple of shots of Kraven scaling a wall in much the same fashion as a certain Friendly Neighbourhood Webhead.

We're not sure if this is a deliberate nod to Spider-Man, but either way, it could end up being the only reference to the wall-crawling hero in the movie. A recent rumor claimed that Spidey is not mentioned in the film, and there will be no post-credits scenes.

Check out the new spots at the links below.

The hunter is on his way.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is #KravenTheHunter. Get tickets this Friday! In theatres December 13. pic.twitter.

Kraven the Hunter will be here in no time but will he be joined by Spider-Man? At this point, we no longer expect the web-slinger to show up in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (which is admittedly bizarre) but a definitive answer has just found its way online.

According to reliable runtime and trailer leader @Cryptic4KQual, there is no mention of Spider-Man in Kraven the Hunter. The movie has been described as "standalone," though that same labelling didn't stop Madame Web from introducing Peter Parker as a baby.

At the very least, we'd imagined the movie ending with Kraven heading to New York City to hunt down a "spider," though the response to that would have likely been largely negative given the disdain many fans seem to have for these spin-offs.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the fact Kraven the Hunter reportedly has no post-credits scenes. Even without a Spidey tease,...

Kraven the Hunter will be here in no time but will he be joined by Spider-Man? At this point, we no longer expect the web-slinger to show up in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (which is admittedly bizarre) but a definitive answer has just found its way online.

According to reliable runtime and trailer leader @Cryptic4KQual, there is no mention of Spider-Man in Kraven the Hunter. The movie has been described as "standalone," though that same labelling didn't stop Madame Web from introducing Peter Parker as a baby.

At the very least, we'd imagined the movie ending with Kraven heading to New York City to hunt down a "spider," though the response to that would have likely been largely negative given the disdain many fans seem to have for these spin-offs.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the fact Kraven the Hunter reportedly has no post-credits scenes. Even without a Spidey tease,...

Sony’s Marvel Comics adaptation Kraven the Hunter is set to reach theatres on December 13th – and the film’s director, J. C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year), is hoping movie-goers will give Kraven the chance to wash away the bad tase left by some of Sony’s other Marvel adaptations (like Morbius and Madame Web).

Directed by Chandor from a screenplay by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, Kraven the Hunter is the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster 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.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the title character and is joined in the...

A new international poster for Kraven the Hunter has been released and it features all the major players, including a first look at Ariana DeBose suited up as Calypso.

In the comics, she studied and wielded powerful arcane magic. After clashing with heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil, Calypso became known to those who crossed paths with her as "The Witch" and "Hunter of Souls."

It doesn't appear as if Sony Pictures is taking the character down that route, though we're not expecting a particularly comic-accurate take on Kraven (he's given up hunting Spider-Man and is instead focused on tearing apart his father's criminal empire).

A 30-second teaser also teases Kraven's origin story and the fact his mysterious superpowers have turned him into "nature's perfect predator."

You can check out the new TV spot and poster for Kraven the Hunter below. We also have a promo which sees Aaron Taylor-Johnson tease the movie's violence,...

Sony Pictures has secured a December 14 cinema release date for “Kraven the Hunter” in mainland China, signaling a planned move into the Asian film industry. The action film, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, will premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival on December 11 before making its North American debut on December 12.

The R-rated film delves into the origins of Marvel’s legendary hunter Kraven, concentrating on his complicated connection with his father, Nikolai Kravinoff, played by Russell Crowe. Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway wrote the screenplay directed by J.C. Chandor and produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and David Householter.

The picture is critical for Hollywood studios trying to gain momentum in China’s competitive film market. Domestic productions have grown in popularity among Chinese audiences in recent years, posing a challenge to international filmmakers. However, a recent dip in China’s box office has forced local authorities to...

“Kraven the Hunter” has been granted a theatrical release in mainland China that is closely coordinated with its North American and international rollouts.

It will open in Chinese theaters on Dec. 14, a Saturday. Its international campaign begins at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival on Dec 11, along with the first commercial outings in Europe. Its U.S. and Canada releases begin on (Friday) Dec. 12.

The film is the sixth in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and is a standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster 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.

Other key cast include Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola and Christopher Abbott.

The first trailer for Kraven the Hunter was a little vague about how the titular character (Aaron Taylor Johnson) got his powers, suggesting that Kraven somehow gained super strength and agility after being bitten by a lion.

Sony Pictures has now released a new TV spot for the next Ssu movie, and it shows some kind of liquid being poured into a young Kraven's mouth after the attack.

Does this mean Kraven's father was in possession of a serum that grants incredible abilities? Probably! Who knows with this franchise.

There seems to be slightly more anticipation for this latest Spider-Man-less Spider-Man spin-off, if for no other reason than the R-rating potentially providing some visceral thrills.

The first 8 minutes of the movie were recently screened during New York Comic-Con, and the sequence featured Kraven stalking and killing multiple foes in a prison. The violence was said to be surprisingly gruesome, and...

Eight months have gone by since we heard that Aaron Taylor-Johnson of Bullet Train and The Fall Guy had been chosen as the latest actor to take on the role of super spy James Bond – and while the former Bond, Daniel Craig, doesn’t care who’s going to follow in his footsteps, fans are still anxiously waiting to hear if Taylor-Johnson is going to be Bond, or if the role is going to someone else. While we continue to wait, the release date of Taylor-Johnson’s next film, Sony’s Marvel Comics adaptation Kraven the Hunter, is swiftly approaching. The movie is set to reach theatres on December 13th – and Taylor-Johnson recommends that Bond fans check it out.

Directed by J. C. Chandor from a screenplay by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, Kraven the Hunter has the following synopsis: Kraven the Hunter is the visceral, action-packed origin...

We're expecting one final trailer for Kraven the Hunter to be released before the end of the month, and a new TV spot reveals even more footage from Sony Pictures' next Marvel movie.

In the 30-second teaser, it's confirmed that Kraven will be hunting down the men who work for his father, Russell Crowe's Nikolai Kravinoff. It seems the Spider-Man villain is setting out to dismantle Nikolai's empire, though he risks becoming a criminal himself in the process.

It seems the plan is for Kraven the Hunter to be more gangster movie than superhero outing, though the title character will clash with Rhino...unless that villain has been cut following the overwhelmingly negative reaction to his appearance. Sony completely reworked Morbius' final act and basically reshot the whole thing, so stranger things have happened.

The TV spot also features a new look at Ariana DeBose's Calypso, a...

Spider-Man foe Kraven is a villain through and through, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a comic book where he's portrayed in a heroic light. It makes sense then that he's not getting the hero treatment in this December's Kraven the Hunter movie from Sony Pictures.

A newly released featurette doubles down on the character's sinister side as we see Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven hunting down his targets.

However, the sneak peek - which contains lots of bloody new footage from the movie - also drives home the fact that Kraven the Hunter is a "standalone" story, the same branding given to Madame Web earlier this year. Presumably, that means it takes place in its own reality rather than the world shared by Venom, Morbius, and, Earth-616's Vulture.

The biggest takeaway from this preview is the fact both in the social media posts and featurette, Kraven the Hunter...

Updated as of November 10, 2024

It's the superheroes' world; we're just living in it. At least that is what the next few years are going to feel like as we once again have an abundance of Marvel and DC films set to make their mark on the box office. Marvel Studios are continuing to expand its ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe while James Gunn and Peter Safran look to launch the DC Universe with the Man of Steel and the Girl of Steel.

Over the years, comic book movies have helped to spearhead the contemporary must-see movie trend. Even though many factors have led to an overall declining box office, superhero movies are continuously fighting to leave their cinematic mark and many of our favorite heroes have had a positive impact at movie theaters in recent years.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is evolving its strategy while moving forward to develop content for...

Kraven the Hunter: Sony’s next Spider-Man Universe film with plot, cast, and release details. (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is gearing up for its next big release, Kraven the Hunter, just two months after wrapping up the Venom trilogy with Venom: The Last Dance. With excitement still fresh from Eddie Brock’s final chapter, our eyes are now on this film. Early buzz suggests that Kraven the Hunter could clock in at 1 hour and 59 minutes, potentially becoming the most extended entry in the franchise to date.

From the plot and release date to the cast and crew, there’s plenty to unpack about this new addition to Sony’s superhero lineup. Let’s dive into all the details and see what Kraven the Hunter has in store for fans.

Cast and Crew of Kraven The Hunter

The film is directed by J.C. Chandor, with a story...