Updated as of November 10, 2024
It's the superheroes' world; we're just living in it. At least that is what the next few years are going to feel like as we once again have an abundance of Marvel and DC films set to make their mark on the box office. Marvel Studios are continuing to expand its ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe while James Gunn and Peter Safran look to launch the DC Universe with the Man of Steel and the Girl of Steel.
Over the years, comic book movies have helped to spearhead the contemporary must-see movie trend. Even though many factors have led to an overall declining box office, superhero movies are continuously fighting to leave their cinematic mark and many of our favorite heroes have had a positive impact at movie theaters in recent years.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is evolving its strategy while moving forward to develop content for many years to come (with excitement once again high after the success of Deadpool and Wolverine) and the Sony Marvel movies supplement the genre with sporadic releases. And as we mentioned, DC franchise remains in the mix, as it navigates the superhero movie playing field with promises of a new, more stable movie universe.
We are here to help you keep track of superhero movie mania. What is the next big release? Will it be a part of a shared movie universe that you know and love? What cast members are set to return in the sequel?
The live-action movies that follow have confirmed theatrical opening dates. Here are the latest updates to the release date schedule.
Kraven the Hunter
Release Date: December 13, 2024
Director: J.C. Chandor
Writers: Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, and Richard Wenk
Cast:
• Aaron Taylor-Johson – Kraven/Sergei Kravinoff
• Ariana DeBose – Calypso
• Alessandro Nivola – Rhino/Aleksei Sytsevich
• Christopher Abbott – The Foreigner
• Fred Hechinger – Chameleon/Dmitri Merdyakov
• Russell Crowe – Nikolai Kravinoff
Despite Kraven being commonly recognized among Spider-Man fans as one of the web slinger’s best villains, the deadly Russian hunter has not appeared in any of the eight live-action Spidey flicks (although he was a member of the Sinister Six in the Spider-Man Broadway show). Sony setting an entire movie around Kraven will remedy his previous absence. As the protagonist, he will stalk his prey as an anti-hero, similar to Venom and Morbius.
The casting for Kraven the Hunter is promising with Aaron Taylor-Johnson previously proving himself as Kick-Ass and Quicksilver in great superhero movies. Both of those performances couldn’t have been more different and Kraven has the potential to be an especially introverted and layered role for the star.
The remarkable indie actor, Christopher Abbott, will portray the assassin Foreigner, while the sensational singer/dancer Ariana DeBose will aim to enchant as the voodoo sorceress Calypso. The illustrious Russell Crowe will play Kraven’s father, but Alessandro Nivola may be the actor to look out for in this movie. After a pair of smaller parts in profound film festival favorites this fall (The Brutalist and The Room Next Door) the versatile Nivola may steal the spotlight in Kraven when he transforms into Rhino.
Kraven will be the sixth film in the current Sony Marvel Universe, after the Venom trilogy, Morbius, and Madame Web. And Chandor is by far the most accomplished director in the franchise, so Marvel fans can hope he raises the bar for Sony. It is still to be determined if Kraven and the other films will connect. Audiences witnessed in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as Venom: Let There Be Carnage and The Last Dance, that the Venom movies take place in an alternate universe from the MCU. And Michael Keaton’s Vulture was perplexingly brought to that reality at the end of Morbius. Will any of those previously installed menaces confront Kraven?