Hey, True Believers, remember Kraven the Hunter? I’ll give you a minute to refresh your memory. Are you good? Cool. After dropping off the radar for several months following the debut of a gnarly (and somewhat promising) red-band trailer, Sony delayed Kraven the Hunter until the Christmas box office window. Why? According to producer Matt Tolmach, “Kraven moved to Christmas because we’re excited about it, and Christmas is the best release period there is – when you get people with time to go back to the movies over and over again.” What’s in store for Sony’s next Marvel film? Lots of mature themes, it would seem. Kraven the Hunter is officially rated R for strong bloody violence and language. Let the games begin!

Sony’s Kraven the Hunter stars Aaron Taylor Johnson (Bullet Train, Godzilla) as Sergei Kravinoff, Spider-Man’s number-one rival. During a chat with Variety, Taylor-Johnson said his version of the character would be a significant departure from the comics. He went on to say that he is “not an alien or a wizard. He’s just a hunter, a human with conviction.” The following description baffles some fans as Taylor-Johnson confirms that Kraven is “an animal lover and protector of the natural world in the movie.” This character trait alone goes directly against the character’s central core, as depicted in the comic books.

J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year, Triple Frontier) directs from a script by Matt Holloway (Iron Man, Transformers: The Last Knight, Uncharted). Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, Fred Hechinger, and Levi Miller join Taylor-Johnson as cast members.

Sony could be better at the box office with Marvel movies like Morbius and Madame Web, which makes one wonder if Kraven has a chance of bucking the trend. Kraven is another relatively unknown Spider-Man character leading another Spider-Man-less film. Sony’s strategy to repurpose established characters for their Spider-Verse is curious. They’re giving him an ultra-violent R-rated romp with unknown variables rather than saving Kraven for Tom Holland’s next Spider-Man movie. Like I said, it’s a bold strategy.

Brushing the tea leaves aside, Kraven the Hunter could delight audiences like Tom Hardy’s Venom does. Hardy’s Venom banked a staggering $856M, while Venome: Let There Be Carnage earned $502M. Not too shabby for a Spider-Man-less Spider-Man franchise. We could be looking at another hit if Kraven the Hunter brings the energy, thrills, and over-the-top action of Sony’s Venom movies. I joke, but I always hope for the best with these kinds of things. I like to get excited about comic book movies, and despite having a few things to prove, I’ll be there when Kraven the Hunter opens in theaters on December 13, 2024. How about you?

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