Kraven the Hunter adds Alessandro Nivola as the main villain

Following Morbius, Sony’s next Spider-Man-adjacent film will follow perennial bad guy Kraven the Hunter. Presumably the film will present Kraven as a more heroic figure. But who will be Kraven’s main villain? Deadline has provided at least a partial answer. While the character’s identity remains a secret, we do know he will be portrayed by Alessandro Nivola.

Nivola made his big-screen debut as Pollux Troy in Face/Off. Over the next 25 years, he appeared in numerous films including Inventing the Abbotts, Mansfield Park, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Jurassic Park III, Laurel Canyon, American Hustle, and The Art of Self-Defense. More recently, Nivola headlined The Sopranos‘ prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark.

Alessandro Nivola in The Many Saints of Newark.

Nivola quickly confirmed the news with a post on his Twitter account. He also noted that it is a reunion with director J.C. Chandor, who previously collaborated with Nivola on A Most Violent Year.

This may be the last thing the world needs to be alerted to at the moment but it ain’t fake news. A second date for me and JC Chandor. #KravenTheHunter #Marvel @SonyPictures #JCChandor #AMostViolentYear https://t.co/g7JGukbtGN

— Alessandro Nivola (@SandroNivola) March 4, 2022

Aaron Taylor-Johnson will star in Kraven as the lead character, whose real name is Sergei Kravinoff. Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, and Fred Hechinger round out the currently revealed cast members. Crowe’s role remains undisclosed, but DeBose, who is nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Wide Story remake, is reportedly playing Kraven’s lover, Calypso. Hechinger is rumored to be playing Kraven’s half-brother, Dmitri Smerdyakov, a man who is better known to Spider-Man fans as the villainous Chameleon.

As noted above, Chandor is directing the film from a script by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk. Kraven the Hunter will be released on January 13, 2023.

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