It’s hard to remember that Sony’s latest Marvel-adjacent film exists, much less have faith in it. But Kraven the Hunter is, in fact, a real movie, and it’s still scheduled for a theatrical release this December.
Given Sony’s recent output, Kraven definitely has its work cut out for it. The studio’s attempt to build a cinematic universe on the backs of infamous Spider-Man villains hasn’t borne much fruit, and though Venom: The Last Dance didn’t do terribly at the box office, there’s a sense that the Sonyverse only has one more chance to get things right. If Kraven doesn’t tell a compelling story and crush it financially, it could be the final nail in the Sonyverse’s coffin.
With Kraven inching closer to its December release date, we won’t have to wait much longer to see how the film fares. In fact, it may manage to surprise us — after all, it does have the virtue of a strong lead, along with something no Sony-Marvel films have ever had: a hard-R rating. Kraven’s red-band trailers have offered a small taste of the brutal action it has in store, and Sony just continued the roll-out by releasing the film’s first eight minutes. Check out the new clip below.
Kraven’s opening sequence introduces its eponymous hunter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) in what may be the best way possible. Though he’s known in the comics as a big game hunter with a Spider-Man obsession, Sony has tweaked Kraven’s characterization, turning him into a bounty hunter who takes down shady kingpins across the globe. It’s not clear whether this is part of some elaborate revenge scheme or just his way of making a living, but Kraven’s new footage manages to tease an intriguing origin story all the same.
The Hunter’s first mission takes place within the walls of a prison, where his reputation is legendary. Kraven uses his wits to assassinate an arms dealer within its walls, while his super-strength and speed help him make a quick escape. It’s a great marriage between the heightened aspects of this world and the conventions of a grounded thriller, and it doesn’t hurt that Kraven’s mission ends with a visceral confrontation.
Of course, Kraven is set to get much weirder with the introduction of other well-known Spidey villains. As trailers have already shown, Kraven will soon be facing off with enhanced individuals like the Rhino (Alessandro Nivola). The film will also dip into even stranger territory with Kraven’s origins, which may or may not involve a blood transfusion from a lion. Hopefully it can reconcile those elements with its grounded crime story, but if Kraven’s opening sequence is anything to go on, the film could be better than anyone expects.
