“Means absolutely nothing”: Sony is Desperately Trying to Distance Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s ‘Kraven The Hunter’ From Madame Web and Morbius and It’s Not Working

It looks like Sony’s superhero universe is trying to fit in with the popular superhero landscape of Disney. They have got Spider-Man for sure, but it has been a rough ride so far beyond that. Morbius flopped harder than imagined, and Madame Web is not on everyone’s watch list for sure.

Now Kraven the Hunter is the upcoming hope for Sony. Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be playing the classic Spider-Man villain, and the studio has been trying to hype up the movie as the next big installment, but it seems like it is not working out exactly as they thought.

Sony’s Superhero Struggles Continue With Kraven the Hunter

Sony has been playing the superhero game for a while now, but it is no secret that they have had more misses than hits lately. Morbius was not liked by both critics and the audience, and Madame Web has probably got the worst backlash of all superhero movies lately.

The only superhero franchise that seem to have landed decently was Venom, although its second installment received criticism. Now, Sony is trying to distance Kraven the Hunter from Morbius and Madame Web‘s fate, but its journey itself hasn’t been that smooth so far.

The film has been delayed three times already. The movie was initially set to be released in January 2023, which was postponed to October 2023. Later, the movie again got delayed due to SAG Aftra strikes and was scheduled to release on August 30, 2024. But now, according to Deadline, the movie might be released in December.

The movie’s director, J.C. Chandor, told Deadline that these delays are made for some “strategic reshoots” and to “sharpen the characters and tighten the plot.” He seems optimistic about the result of the delays and said,

I’m extremely proud of the work we have all done together on Kraven, and when the movie finally gets its chance to be seen I think it’s gonna surprise the hell out of a lot of people.

Sony Pictures Entertainment executives also seem to be hopeful that Kraven the Hunter will be more in line with the Venom films than with Madame Web or Morbius. But it seems like fans are not buying it at all after facing all the disappointments.

sony being happy with a film means absolutely nothing

— harv (@harvv) August 13, 2024

when sony is happy with the film that’s when you know we in for something special (and not in a good way)

— 𝖏𝖙 (@TOTHEMAKER) August 13, 2024

"Sony is so happy with the film"

Time to prepare for a critical disappointment 🫠

— Aryan Gupta (@SavageAryan007) August 14, 2024

My toxic trait is that I think this is actually gonna be good😭😂

— Reverse Truth🦅🇬🇧👑 (@Bidal4Life) August 13, 2024

This has risen expectations, something Sony REALLY doesn't have the weight to back up https://t.co/eSab7RCyv3

— Jostarrey (@Jostarrey) August 13, 2024

And it is hard to blame critical netizens. Morbius turned out to be a disaster due to a weak script, poor character development, and a marketing campaign that promised way more than it delivered. Madame Web faced a similar situation, with little to no action as promised in the trailer, along with weak character development and story.

Kraven the Hunter‘s Place in Sony’s Superhero Universe

Kraven the Hunter will explore the origin of Sergei Kravinoff who will be played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. He is the son of a Russian crime lord and a big game hunter who becomes one of Spider-Man’s main adversaries afterward.

But just like previous Spidey villains, this movie will also dig into Kraven’s story and his tough upbringing with little to no reference to Spider-Man, which has been considered a drawback in previous movies as those characters get their importance because of Spider-Man.

However, the cast looks pretty promising. Alongside Taylor-Johnson, there will be Russell Crowe as Kraven’s father, Ariana DeBose as Calypso who is Kraven’s love interest, and Alessandro Nivola as the Rhino. Fred Hechinger is also on board as the Chameleon, and Christopher Abbott is playing an assassin. 

But it is still not clear which Spider-Man universe Kraven actually belongs to. Whether he is a part of Tom Hardy’s Venom universe, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man world, or something entirely new, the movie might answer the question.

After Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially become a part of Sony’s Spider-Man multiverse. But for now, fans will have to wait and see if Kraven the Hunter can break Sony’s superhero curse.

Kraven the Hunter will be released in theaters on December 13, 2024.