Sony’s superhero universe just got a little more crowded. The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Russell Crowe has joined the cast of Kraven the Hunter, the upcoming Spider-Man spinoff focusing on one of the Marvel hero’s major foes.
The casting announcement doesn’t detail which character Crowe will be playing, but it will most likely involve a lot of intense glaring and growling. Whatever role he plays, Crowe is a veteran of superhero movies, having memorably portrayed Superman’s father, Jor-El, in Man of Steel. He is also slated to play Zeus in the upcoming MCU movie Thor: Love and Thunder. Since Sony’s Spiderverse villain movies still exist in a separate continuity from the MCU’s, Crowe can be in both Thor and Kraven without too much conflict.
Kraven will be the fourth movie Sony has set up focusing on a Spider-Man supporting character. The first, Venom, was a worldwide hit, grossing nearly $900 million in 2018. Its 2020 sequel was also a success, grossing $500 million worldwide in a pandemic-challenged environment. The second, Morbius, has been floating around the release schedule for a couple of years now, with Sony eager to find the right time and place to launch it. That film, starring Jared Leto as the titular vampire antihero, is currently scheduled to release on April 1. Finally, Sony just announced a Madame Web movie with Dakota Johnson attached to star.
J.C. Chandor is scheduled to direct Kraven with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, another veteran of superhero films, portraying the Marvel villain. Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, and Matt Tolmach will write the screenplay. They have plenty to work with as Kraven has been around since 1964, when he debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 15. Kraven was an original member of the Sinister Six and later played a key role in one of Spider-Man’s greatest stories, Kraven’s Last Hunt.
Currently, there is no release date announced for Kraven the Hunter.
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