While Disney has its own massive branch of Marvel movies underneath the Marvel Cinematic Universe umbrella, that hasn’t stopped Sony from doing the same. The studio has managed to craft its own cinematic universe featuring iconic Spider-Man characters. As a result we now have Venom, the upcoming sequel, and the upcoming Morbius film adaptation as well. Now we can add an upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie to the mix. What’s more, the lead role for the titular character has also been announced – and it turns out it’s going to actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
As revealed by new reports via Deadline, Johnson has now been cast in the new film from director J.C. Chandor. This should make for an interesting film, considering the importance of Kraven the Hunter in the original Marvel Comics and how the character has had many iconic run-ins with both Spider-Man and Black Panther. Of course, it remains to be seen how the character will function outside the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe and its many superheroes. But considering Sony has managed to find ways for the Venom and Morbius film adaptations to both exist outside the box, we can assume the highly anticipated Kraven the Hunter will find a place right there beside them.
Here’s how Aaron Taylor-Johnson apparently got the role for Kraven the Hunter:
“Insiders say Taylor-Johnson came on studio execs radar for the part after dailies for his upcoming action pic Bullet Train started coming in where his scenes would blow away top brasss. Taylor-Johnson plays one of the main assassins in the pic and according to one source, his scenes with Brad Pitt were so impressive that the studio acted fast to get him on the phone with Chandor.”
With J.C. Chandor directing, the screenplay for the film was written by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk. The producers for the film include Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach.
The new film is scheduled for a release date on January 13, 2023.