Sony Expands Their Spider-Verse, Hires Writer For Their ‘Kraven The Hunter’ Movie
Sony has a plan. Maybe. They’re hell-bent on making theirSpider-Verse– which is separate from the MCU’s Spider-Man related films – work. Tom Hardy and his big CGI tongue are coming to theaters this year withVenom. And then there’s the animatedSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, also due out this year. And now, here’s something for the future: aKraven the Huntermovie. Sony has tappedEqualizer 2writerRichard Wenkto pen the script for the film about the Spider-Man villain.
Colliderhas the scoop on theKraven the Huntermovie. This isn’t entirely new – back in 2017, a report indicated that Sony was interested in making aKravenmovie along withSilver & Black. Since then, however, theSilver & Blackmovie has beenremovedfrom Sony’s schedule. But it looks likeKravenis becoming a reality.
Kraven the Hunter, aka Sergei Kravinoff, first appeared in the pages ofThe Amazing Spider-Manin 1964. The character (perWikipedia) “is a maniacal big game hunter who seeks to defeat Spider-Man to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world. Unlike other hunters, he typically disdains the use of guns or bow and arrows, preferring to take down large dangerous animals with his bare hands. He also lives by a code of honor of sorts, choosing to hunt his game fairly. He consumes a mystical serum to give himself enhanced strength and dramatically slow the aging process.”
Sony wants Richard Wenk, who wrote the recently releasedThe Equalizer 2, to handle script duties. The fact that the studio has lined-up a writer indicates they’re keen on making this a reality. But as Collider adds, the future of Sony’s Spider-Verse is riding onVenom. LikeKraven,Venomis another Spidey spin-off focused on a character who is traditionally a Spider-Man villain. IfVenomtanks, it’s likely Sony will have second-thoughts about this idea. For now, though, it’s full steam ahead.
The Spider-Verse is a strange beast. While Sony and Marvel Studios struck a deal to bring Spider-Man into the MCU, the Spider-Verse is its own separate thing. It’s unlikely Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man will be showing up anytime soon in Sony’s films. Instead, they’re choosing to focus on spin-offs, or films set in alternate dimensions – like the animatedSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The studio has been dabbling with the idea of villainous spin-offs for a while now. When Spider-Man was rebooted at Sony withThe Amazing Spider-ManandThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony had big dreams of launching a whole cinematic universe that would include aSinister Sixmovie (which would’ve included Kraven as a character). ButThe Amazing Spider-Man 2was a disappointment, and the future ofSpider-Manspin-offs was uncertain for a while. Now, they’re forging ahead.
Will any of this work? Who knows!. Like Venom, it’s hard to say if Kraven can work on the big screen without Spider-Man to face-off against. While buzz surroundingSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseseems positive, the reaction toVenomhas been decidedly mixed. But there’s always a possibilityVenomwill end up raking in boffo box office, which would encourage Sony to continue down their villain spin-off path.
