Kraven the Hunter (film)

Kraven the Hunter is a 2024 American superhero film featuring the character from Marvel Comics. It is the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Kraven, alongside Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe. Directed by J.C. Chandor and written by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, the film explores Kraven's relationship with his father and his path to becoming the greatest hunter.

Kraven was considered for film appearances several times before Sony Pictures became interested in a standalone film for the character, as part of its new shared universe, in mid-2017. Wenk was hired in August 2018, and Chandor entered negotiations to direct in August 2020, and was confirmed in May 2021 when Taylor-Johnson was cast. Filming took place from late March until mid-June in London, Iceland, and Glasgow.

Following two years of delays, Kraven the Hunter was released in the United States on December 13, 2024, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film was a box-office failure, grossing $62 million worldwide against a $110–130 million budget, and received negative reviews from critics. Following its release, Sony halted development on further SSU films.

Plot

Following the death of his mother, Sergei Kravinoff and his half-brother Dmitri are taken by their father Nikolai Kravinoff to prepare to take over his drug trafficking operations. During a hunting trip in Ghana, Sergei is injured protecting his brother from a lion. The lion then brings him to a girl named Calypso, who heals him with a serum and calls for rescue, leaving a tarot card behind. Sergei discovers his physical attributes have become animalistic. When Nikolai reveals he killed the lion to teach his sons a lesson, a disgusted Sergei flees to an animal sanctuary owned by his mother in Russia.

Sixteen years later, Sergei, now going by Kraven, is a vigilante who hunts criminals. After killing an arms trafficker in a Russian prison, Kraven travels to London for Dmitri's birthday. Their reunion is short-lived when mercenaries abduct Dmitri. When Nikolai refuses to pay the ransom, Kraven tracks down Calypso, now working as a lawyer, and convinces her to help. Meanwhile, Dmitri meets the man behind his kidnapping, Aleksei Sytsevich, who took part in an experiment granting him the strength and visage of a rhinoceros. Aleksei proposes an alliance to overthrow Nikolai. Discovering Kraven's connection to Dmitri, Aleksei lures him to a monastery in Turkey, but Kraven survives the ambush. Aleksei hires the Foreigner, an assassin who uses ocular hypnosis to disorient his targets, to kill Kraven.

Tracking Kraven and Calypso to his sanctuary, Aleksei and the Foreigner ambush Kraven. Drugging him with neurotoxin, the Foreigner attacks Kraven but Calypso kills him with a crossbow and revives Kraven. He then uses a buffalo stampede to trap Aleksei, who, despite turning into the Rhino and briefly overpowering Kraven, is killed.

Discerning that Nikolai was the one who revealed his existence to Aleksei, Kraven tracks his father for answers. Nikolai reveals that he knew Aleksei was targeting him and manipulated his sons to remove him. Kraven steals ammunition so that his father will be killed by a bear.

One year later, Kraven visits Dmitri and is shocked that he has willingly inherited their father's criminal empire. Having gained shapeshifting abilities from the doctor who experimented on Aleksei, Dmitri reveals this to Kraven and states that despite his claims of being morally superior, he and Nikolai were the same: hunters searching for their next great trophy. At home, Kraven discovers a note from Nikolai along with a vest made from the skin of the lion Nikolai killed long ago, which he puts on.

Cast

• Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff / Kraven the Hunter:
  A hunter-gatherer. Taylor-Johnson described his take on the character as an apex predator and a conservationist but not a poacher, a "protector of the natural world", and an "animal lover".
  • Levi Miller portrays a young Sergei.
• Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili: A voodoo priestess and lawyer who aids Kraven.
  • Diaana Babnicova plays young Calypso.
• Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Kravinoff / Chameleon: Kraven's estranged half-brother who is a master of disguise, capable of mimicking other's voices.
  • Billy Barratt portrays a young Dmitri.
• Alessandro Nivola as Aleksei Sytsevich / Rhino: A Russian mercenary who can transform into a human-rhino hybrid and controls the transformation using a serum.
• Christopher Abbott as the Foreigner: An assassin who uses ocular hypnosis to slow time and is hired by Aleksei.
• Russell Crowe as Nikolai Kravinoff: Kraven's estranged father, and a ruthless crime lord and drug trafficker.
• Murat Seven as Ömer Ozdemir, a Turkish assassin hired by Aleksei.
• Yuri Kolokolnikov as Semyon Chorney, a Russian crime lord Kraven encounters in prison.
• Tom Reed as Bert, Aleksei's second-in-command.

Additionally, Masha Vasyukova appears as Kraven's mother. Guillaume Delaunay plays Mofo, a large and intimidating prisoner who becomes Kraven's cellmate.

Production

Development

Director Sam Raimi planned to include the Marvel Comics character Kraven the Hunter in his fourth Spider-Man film before that project was canceled in favor of The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), a reboot of the franchise. Sony Pictures announced plans in December 2013 for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) to establish a shared universe—inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)—based on the Marvel properties they held the rights to. Kraven was teased in that film, with its director Marc Webb expressing interest in seeing the character appear on film. In February 2015, Sony and Marvel Studios announced a new partnership to co-produce the film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and integrate the Spider-Man character with Marvel's MCU. In May 2017, Sony announced its own shared universe, later named "Sony's Spider-Man Universe" (SSU). Sony intended this to be "adjunct" to their MCU Spider-Man films, featuring Spider-Man related properties beginning with Venom (2018). The studio was considering a Kraven film for the universe. Simultaneously, director Ryan Coogler hoped to include the character in his MCU film Black Panther (2018) because of a fight between Black Panther and Kraven in Christopher Priest's Black Panther comic book run. Due to the film's outline being based on Priest's run, Coogler asked Marvel if they could use Kraven due to his admiration for Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1998). Marvel asked Sony for permission to use the character, but Sony declined.

Richard Wenk was hired to write a screenplay for Kraven the Hunter in August 2018, a month after the successful release of Sony's The Equalizer 2 (2018), which he wrote. The project was billed as "the next chapter" of Sony's shared universe. Wenk was tasked with introducing Kraven to audiences and figuring out which character he could hunt in the film since Spider-Man, considered to be Kraven's "white whale" in the comic books, was unlikely to appear due to the MCU deal. Whether the film would target adult audiences would depend on the audience response to Venom's darker approach. In October, Wenk said he was "cracking" the story and tone of the film before beginning scripting. He intended to adhere to the character's comic book lore, including by featuring Kraven fighting Spider-Man. Wenk said Sony intended to adapt the Kraven's Last Hunt (1987) comic book storyline, and there were ongoing discussions over whether to do that in this film or a later one. Wenk compared the latter approach to the two-part film Kill Bill (2003/2004). He expressed interest in having Equalizer director Antoine Fuqua join the film; Fuqua considered directing Sony's Marvel-based film Morbius (2022), and would decide on directing Kraven based on the script. Sony confirmed that a film featuring Kraven was in development in March 2019.