Cast This: Kraven the Hunter

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

With VENOM hitting theaters this Friday, Sony Pictures is hoping that it will be a successful launch of their own little slice of the Marvel Universe, and they've already got several follow-up projects in the works, including films centered around Morbius the Living Vampire (to be played by Jared Leto), Silver Sable, Black Cat, Silk, Jackpot, Nightwatch, and Kraven the Hunter.

Born Sergei Kravinoff, Kraven the Hunter is a Russian immigrant whose aristocratic family fled to America following the Russian Revolutions. With intensive training and the help of a potion which gave him superhuman abilities, including increased strength, speed, reflexes, and enhanced senses, Kraven became a fearsome big-game hunter who tackled the most dangerous game on the planet, preferably with his bare hands. Kraven is also one of Spider-Man's most famous villains, and, in one of his most memorable comic-book stories, Kraven's Last Hunt, even defeats Spider-Man by seemingly killing him and burying him. Kraven then assumed Spider-Man's identity by donning his own Spidey outfit and set out to prove himself superior at his former adversaries own game.

Despite Sony constructing their new Marvel Universe around the heroes and villains of the Spider-Man franchise, it seems that they're not able to use the web-slinger himself while he occupies a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least for now. This puts added pressure on constructing a powerful story around characters that we normally associate with Spidey, such as Kraven the Hunter. Not much is known about how Sony will be approaching Kraven, but Collider reported in August that THE EQUALIZER screenwriter Richard Wenk had signed on to pen the script for the project. Although most associate the character with Spider-Man, Kraven the Hunter does butt heads with other Marvel heroes, including Black Panther. In fact, Ryan Coogler told Yahoo! Movies earlier this year that he was hoping to include Kraven in BLACK PANTHER.

Being a Marvel fan, you want to grab all the characters. You realise there’s contractual things. You don’t have that character. There was a Christopher Priest run that was pretty heavy, there’s a big scene where Panther’s fighting Kraven, Kraven the Hunter. I’ve always loved Kraven the Hunter in almost every iteration. So there was a moment – ‘Can I grab Kraven?’ – and they were ‘Nah, you don’t have Kraven.’ He was one where I thought ‘Oh, man.’ But I don’t even know if he would have worked in the movie we ended up with, this was the early days.

Whether we actually get to see Kraven the Hunter on the big-screen, at least as a standalone Sony film, likely depends on how well VENOM is received this Friday. Now, who should don the ridiculous lion head vest and bring Kraven into the realm of live-action for the first time? I'll toss out a few suggestions to get you started. Gerard Butler (OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN) has always been a popular pick for the role, and I still think that he has what it takes to bring the maniacal big-game hunter to life. Joel Edgerton (IT COMES AT NIGHT) could bring a slightly more subdued quality to Kraven, but with all of that rage still boiling beneath the surface. Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones) would be another fine choice, particularly as he's in the midst of breaking out on the big-screen with roles in KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE and the upcoming WONDER WOMAN 1984.

Remember, you're free to suggest anyone in the comments, so let your inner casting director run wild!

Previously on Cast This, you were asked to fill the role of Superman should the rumours prove true and Warner Bros. look to replace Henry Cavill. The general consensus seemed to be in favour of Cavill continuing with the character, but you also had a lot of great suggestions for a possible replacement, including Colin O'Donoghue (Once Upon a Time) and Benjamin Walker (ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER), but I was also surprised to see how many of you were eager for Brandon Routh (SUPERMAN RETURNS) to get another crack at the role.