"Kraven the Hunter" Trailer and Poster Unveiled

Sony unveiled the poster and trailer for its R-rated Spider-Man Universe spin-off movie, “Kraven the Hunter”, showing Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train) as the iconic Marvel villain Sergei Kravinoff.

In comic book storylines, Kraven debuted in Marvel Comics’ Amazing Spider-Man #15. He considered himself the greatest hunter in the world and deemed the wall-crawler the ultimate prey to catch. Kraven is also oftentimes portrayed as a member of the supervillain team the Sinister Six.

The latest in Sony Pictures’ universe of Marvel characters also stars Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, Russell Crowe, and Fred Hechinger.

Crowe portrays Taylor-johnson’s father Sergei Kravinoff and Alessandro Nivola plays the Rhino. 

The footage highlights that “villains aren’t born — they’re made”, showing how the movie will explore how Sergei Kravinoff transforms from a young boy raised in harsh conditions into a killer predator. With superhuman abilities such as enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina and longevity, as well as a wide range of weapons at his disposal, Kraven seeks out his prey with unmatched vigor.

Sony debuted the first glimpse of the upcoming movie with new footage at CinemaCon 2023, bringing Taylor-Johnson onstage to present footage to an audience of theater owners. 

During the introduction, the actor made the declaration that “Kraven” would be rated R, promising some bloody violence. 

Prior to release, Marvel fans had speculated that Tom Hardy’s “Venom” and Jared Leto’s “Morbius” could earn R ratings, but both were released under a PG-13 from the MPAA. “Kraven” marks the first R-rated Marvel picture from Sony.

Taylor-Johnson previously said he liked playing Kraven because he’s "not an alien or a wizard. He's just a hunter, a human with conviction. An animal lover and a protector of the natural world."

The actor also called Kraven "one of Marvel's most iconic, notorious anti-heroes" and "Spider-Man's number one rival."

"Kraven the Hunter" also features Ariana DeBose as Calypso and Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Smerdyakov/ Chameleon, a master of disguise who also just so happens to be Kraven's half-brother in the comics. Christopher Abbott and Levi Miller also star.

J.C. Chandor directs the pic from a screenplay by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk.

"Kraven the Hunter" is scheduled to open in cinemas on October 6.