Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Kraven the Hunter "won't disappoint"

Kraven the Hunter has a complex relationship with the Sony/Marvel fandom. Since 2018, screenwriter Richard Wenk has been dutiful about creating a movie about the underrated and underexposed anti-hero of the jungle. It's been a roller coaster with this crew, namely for fans of the Sinister Six (more on that later).

The problem is Sony Pictures can't get out of its own way. The timeline has been much longer than expected, and each delay has spiked nerd anxiety. Yet Aaron Taylor-Johnson believes this film "will not disappoint." For that sentiment to deliver, he needs to sift Kraven's disappointment before throwing that out there. Here's why:

• In August 2018, Wenk was hired and started writing Kraven the Hunter.

• Later in the year, Art Marcum (writer for Iron Man and Transformers: The Last Knight) and Matt Holloway (writer for Men in Black: International and Punisher: War Zone) joined the writing team.

• Two years later, J.C. Chandor (director of A Most Violent Year, Triple Frontier, Margin Call) signed on as director. (Two years?!)

• Two years after that, in February 2022, filming finally began in Iceland.

• Yet, Russell Crowe (Nikolai Kravinoff/Kraven's father) and Alessandro Nivola (Rhino) didn't sign on until April 2023. Later in the month, we were told Kraven the Hunter would be R-rated, which helped make that pill go down easily.

• At the same time, Sony Pictures announced that the film's premiere would be delayed until January 2023. That later became October 2023, which was relisted as August 2024, and then finalized as December 2024. Sigh.

That brings us here—an underwhelming marketing run, a loss of additional faith in Sony Pictures (we're looking at you, Venom: The Last Dance), and all those delays. To be fair, the SAG-AFTRA strike resulted in two of those delays, but somehow, fans blamed the studio. Compacting fandom fear and uncertainty, Kraven comes out the same day as the animated addition to The Lord of the Rings saga, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the visceral responses to the red-band trailer. Kraven the Hunter looks grueling, forceful, and a first for the Sony Pictures and Marvel Entertainment combo platter. Taylor-Johnson is correct, or perhaps, he's not. Regardless, one thing is certain: It better be.

Will Kraven the Hunter be in the Hunt for a Box Office frenzy?

In an interview with Screen Rant, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 34, seems thrilled to get the film into the wild, so to speak.

"He's got some dark demons there, and we are basically showing the birth of that and how he becomes a villain that we then come to know," said the Kraven the Hunter star. "So, really, come see this movie, man. Come see this movie. I promise you it won't disappoint. It's got all the beats that you want and more. I think it could be an audience’s sort of villain favorite, definitely go toe-to-toe with some other people down the line, man."

Really, Kraven? Will there be more than we expect in the long-awaited anti-hero film? We first heard about the film in 2017, even though the first "official" announcement was at CinemaCom in April 2022. Since then, Sony has delayed Marvel's version of The Lion King multiple times. Fans already expect a minor letdown because of the rest of the SpiderVerse getting stuck in its own web (See: Madame Web, Morbius, Venom: The Last Dance.)

Not for nothing, but however fans feel about the anticipated project, a white flag may have been raised last week as the first eight minutes are online for everyone to judge and see. That strategy is usually akin to a restaurant buying those dancing inflatable guys to get anyone's attention. (For what it's worth, the subtitled-enriched clip is not bad at all.)

Here is what Bam Smack Pow believes will help Aaron Taylor-Johnson's prophecy come to reality. Hopefully, more of these will happen and we can move ahead in style.

Five things Kraven the Hunter can provide to prevent disappointment

In an interview with ComicBook.com, director J.C. Chandor said that "[his] goal was to isolate our movie, protect it, and just tell a good damn story." Kraven the Hunter has all the makings of that "good, damn story," but will it deliver? Sony Pictures and Marvel Entertainment realize they are behind the eight ball in terms of establishing hype and confidence, so they need to manipulate sentiment and maximize potential to keep the fandom engaged.

Throughout the hullabaloo of the Sony Pictures dark alley of the Marvel IP traipsing through the SpiderVerse, the Sinister Six has been teased more times Dolly Parton's hair before a concert. Sony Pictures has already pleaded—borderline begged, actually—to "give our film a chance." We get that, but this movie could be the studio's last chance to win favor from fans. So, we have some ideas about how that could be possible.

Post-Credits introduction to the The Sinister Six

The founding members of the Sinister Six have all been accounted for in the SpiderVerse.

• Doctor Octopus - Played masterfully by Alfred Molina, Doc Ock was the big baddie in Spider-Man 2.
• Venom - We have completed the character arc and trilogy (thankfully).
• Vulture - While the creature got mixed reviews in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Keaton did his thing and needs to come back soon.
• Electro -Jamie Foxx played Maxwell Dillon in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Not his best moment.
• Sandman - You remember Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko in Spider-Man 3? Good, because we'd rather not talk about that film.
• Kraven the Hunter - Coming December 13 across the United States.

Now that we have them all listed in Sony Picture's ham-handed SpiderVerse, planting the seed for the Sinister Six must happen. If Sony and Marvel paid attention to this fandom's demands, they know the mid-credits scene needs to blow our collective minds, or it's deuces for this relationship and any future movie involving this niche of Marvel Entertainment. If not, it may be too late for an MCU crossover too.

A friendly neighborhood appearance or tease

Regarding post-credit utopia, Marvel knows fans will be parked in their seats awaiting a few extra minutes of nerd bliss following the end credits. We already have Tom Holland in the MCU, so is there nothing else we want more than to see him learning about either the Sinister Six or Kraven the Hunter for the first time in a film?

A tease is all Kevin Feige needs to offer for Aaron Taylor-Johnson to extend his jungle love into our hearts. However, does he care to extend the life of this beleaguered universe? Only time will tell. Well, about 2.5 minutes' worth anyway.

Earn that R

Even in the comics, Kraven the Hunter was absolutely brutal. Marvel has proven that they can make a viable and memorable R-rated comic book movie with the Deadpool franchise. There were enough curse words from the "Merc with a Mouth" in those three movies to make Samuel L. Jackson blush and look things up in a dictionary.

Kraven the Hunter gave us a red-band trailer. We know the Richard Wenk writing team understands canon or how to make an audience's stomach get queasy. This must be the most violent and fierce movie of the entire Sony Pictures franchise. Venom should have been, but his head-eating was a CGI remedial course is stupid. They don't need to hold back on the blood and guts for the kids; they should expect that's what the kids want too.

A plot to win back trust

We have a salty writing team and a respected director preapring for nearly five years to create something that shows as much pain as it should provide a story that fans will be proud to admit they saw it opening weekend. Iron Man, Black Panther, and Captain America validate Marvel Studios' ability to make a compelling origin story. Sony Pictures do not have that street cred, so this movie must eclipse those earlier films to win this fandom's persnickety trust back.

There are volumes that can be written about Marvel's fandom, and much of it would be censored. However, one thing they are is loyal to the subject matter. They know how Kraven is portrayed in the comics. Fans understand his sway inside Spider-Man's rogues gallery. He annihilates foes with his bare hands, as his preference. If we don't see the figurative blood in the water, Sony won't see any more fan support as this universe is on life support already.

Don't rely on Fan-Service

When in doubt, comic book movie directors go for the low-hanging fruit to dangle in front of moviegoers, hoping to get a big "Awwwwww" out of them during premiere weekend. That will not work with Kraven. Much like with Guardians of the Galaxy or even Thor, fans don't exactly sleep with Kraven's Funko Pop nearby. Although he nears the summit of the Spider-Man baddies, Kraven is a Tier-Two or Three antagonist.

If there are many fan service appeals, many will soar over attendees' heads fast. In another ComicBook.com interview, this time with Chandor, it's clear Sony Pictures and the director understand that reality.

"I have enough characters in this world that I was given by my partners in this, and I had to create new versions of those characters," he said. "In some cases, [we must] bring them on film for the first time with many of the other characters and have them all seamlessly fit into our little story for audiences who don’t know who ‘The Chameleon’ is."

If this team sticks with what got them here and spotlight the barbaric nature of Kraven and his big game hunting prowess, this will be a worthwile and homicidal event to watch on the big screen. However, if they get too fancy, all that potential will swirl down Sony's drain and end up being like someone peeing in Marvel's pool. And no one wants that.