Kraven the Hunter release date, cast, plot & trailers
Sony PicturesVillains aren’t born, they’re made – and Kraven the Hunter will tell the origin story of one of Spider-Man’s iconic foes.
Sony’s Marvel universe may not be a critical darling (every movie has a Rotten Tomatoes score under 60%), nor has it produced huge box office returns (apart from the Venom films, the others have been flops).
If you’re looking for a redeeming statement, I don’t have one – what I do have is hope for Kraven the Hunter, JC Chandor’s R-rated action movie that may turn the tide for the franchise. Who knows, maybe it’ll even be one of the best movies of 2024.
While you shouldn’t get too excited to see him fight the wall-crawler (sorry folks, he’s not in it), you should be excited to watch the film.
Kraven the Hunter release date
Sony PicturesKraven the Hunter will be released in cinemas on December 13, 2024.
If it feels like you’ve been waiting a while for the movie to come out… you have. It was originally scheduled to hit cinemas in January 2023, and then it was pushed to October 6, 2023… and then it was postponed by more than a year.
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes almost definitely played a part, but there were other reasons.
According to producer Matt Tolmach, “Kraven moved to Christmas because we’re excited about it, and Christmas is the best release period there is – when you get people with time to go back to the movies over and over again.”
“That was a real reflection of how the studio felt about the movie. We’re really excited. But that’s a great move that reflects just the feeling about the movie.”
However, as per a Deadline report, “the delays allowed for Chandor to sharpen the characters and tighten the plot, and some strategic reshoots which were effective.”
Watch the trailers
Two trailers have been released for Kraven the Hunter – and they’re both red band!
The first trailer was released in June 2013, so just don’t pay attention to its amended release date. However, take note of the violence, as it’s a good taste of what to expect.
The second trailer dropped in August this year, focusing less on Kraven’s origin story and more on how he pursues his prey – not to mention a divisive look at the Rhino in action.
Who’s in the Kraven the Hunter cast?
Sony PicturesAaron Taylor-Johnson plays the titular role of Kraven the Hunter, also known as Sergei Kravinoff. The cast also includes:
- Alessandro Nivola as Aleksei Sytsevich, aka the Rhino
- Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili
- Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Smerdyakov, Kraven’s brother and the Chameleon
- Christopher Abbott as the Foreigner
- Russell Crowe as Nikolai Kravinoff, Kraven’s father
- Levi Miller as young Kraven
- Murat Seven as Ömer Aksoy
As for whether or not there’ll be any cameos, that remains to be seen. However, it’s been reported there aren’t any post-credits scenes, nor are there any references to Spider-Man, so don’t hold out hope for Tom Holland or anyone else.
As for Taylor-Johnson, he earlier said: “What I love about that character is that what is he humanizing is that he has flaws, right? Kraven is a beautiful character. Sergei Kravinov is a beautiful character because it’s someone who’s really understanding themselves and has flaws.
“This is a character that was built ages ago and it’s in a new time and era, but yeah, is he going to be the hunter that we all want to see? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.”
What is Kraven the Hunter actually about?
Sony PicturesKraven the Hunter explores how Sergei Kravinoff took on the titular mantle and became a supervillain.
According to Sony, it’s the “visceral, action-packed origin story of how and why one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be.
“Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.”
Before Kraven the Hunter hits cinemas on December 13, check out our list of the best superhero movies of all time, and find out how to watch every Marvel movie in order.