The first footage for Kraven the Hunter was finally released at CinemaCon ahead of the film’s release in October. But what exactly did we get to learn about Sony’s next project?
Sony has been trying to build a cinematic universe featuring Spider-Man characters for a lot of time now. A script for an unreleased Sinister Six film was made many years ago, alongside plans for a Black Cat spin-off that never came to be. However, things finally changed for the better with the release of Venom. While the Lethal Protector’s solo project didn’t feature the wall-crawler himself, it still managed to be a box office success. As a result, not only was a sequel greenlit and eventually released, but production for a Kraven movie began as well.
With Kraven The Hunter set to release on October 6, it was finally time for footage to be shown. Fortunately, CinemaCon attendees got just that in the form of a first look at the film. While the trailer hasn’t made its way online yet for everyone to see, we did learn a few juicy details about it. So it’s time we break down every reveal in order to have a better idea of what kind of project Sony has been working on.
An R-Rated movie
Kraven’s panel started with a pre-recorded message by Aaron Taylor-Johnson revealing the movie will indeed be R-Rated. Not only that but the footage shown was also extremely violent and bloody. The Spider-Man villain was seen using different weapons like bear traps and spears in order to fight a group of hunters by himself. As the footage goes on, they all die in multiple vicious ways including decapitation and chop-offs. Kraven will also fight like a literal beast, as he’s reported to bite a goon’s face out and jump on walls. F-bombs are also expected to appear, as Aaron himself dropped some when introducing the panel.
What’s interesting is that this trailer seemingly confirms that Kraven will be looking to protect animals instead of just hunting them. In a past interview with Variety, Aaron Taylor-Johnson said:
"He’s just a hunter, a human with conviction. An animal lover and a protector of the natural world. He’s a very, very cool character."
This quote, along with the fact that Kraven kills poachers in the footage presented at CinemaCon, makes it clear he’ll be more of an antihero rather than a villain. Now we’ll just have to wait and see if this twist makes for a good interpretation of the character.
A classic costume
For a very brief moment in the trailer, Kraven was seen holding his classic costume. This means we’ll get to see him using a vest that has fur over his shoulders in the film.
This isn’t much of a surprise, as Sony has been sticking to comic-accurate designs in recent Spider-Man movies. Just take a look at Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home, or at Carnage in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Still, it’s nice to finally get confirmation Kraven will look pretty much the same as his comic book counterpart.
Rhino will make an appearance
We already knew the actor Alessandro Nivola was going to appear in Kraven The Hunter as an antagonist. However, we didn’t know who he has going to play until now. The CinemaCon footage shows Alessandro saying the line “You want to see why they call me the Rhino?” and then proceeding to inject himself with a serum. While the villain’s design wasn’t shown, the trailer did show a glimpse of this arm turning big and gray.
However, let’s not forget that both Rhino and Kraven made cameo appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home as some of the silhouettes shown when the multiverse started to break apart. Would it be too much of a stretch for those designs to be the ones used in this movie? Well, let’s not rule out that possibility just yet.
Unfortunately, it has been confirmed that a fully-transformed Rhino will only appear in the final moments of Kraven The Hunter. In a past interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Alessandro Nivola talked a little bit about his role in the movie and said:
"I only transform, physically, in the final moments of the movie, so it’s just a classic villain role. It had a really interesting, complex psychology and personal history to draw on, and the movie has a time jump in it so the character changes a lot from the way he is in the beginning of the film."
While it might be disappointing to hear we’ll only see The Rhino only for the movie’s climax, it’s still exciting to know he’ll make an appearance. After all, it’s the perfect opportunity for the character to be redeemed after Paul Giamatti’s weird portrayal of the supervillain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Kraven’s father could be an antagonist
Kraven’s father will also make an appearance, and he will be portrayed by none other than Russell Crowe. However, it seems that he will create a lot of tension for the protagonist throughout the course of the film. Not only he will be the one that raised his son to become a Hunter, but Alexei Kravinoff was also heard saying he wants to be nothing like his dad in the footage shown at CinemaCon. This could indicate Rhino won’t be the only antagonist in the movie, as there is a chance the family dilemma positions Russell Crowe’s character as a villain as well.
Finally, it was revealed that the official trailer is going to be released for general audiences to see in the summer. That means we won’t have to wait long in order to see by ourselves just how violent this movie really is.
Are you excited for Kraven The Hunter? Let us know in the comments below! And stick to Bam! Smack! Pow! for everything superhero related.