Sony Responds To Kraven The Hunter Movie Rumors

07/19/2017 04:31 pm EDT

2017 has been an excellent year for superhero films, and Hollywood is still tossing out pitches for future movies. DC Films has announced films for Batgirl and Nightwing, and 20th Century Fox is working on several new X-Men projects. Recently, reports also suggested Sony was wanting to develop spin-offs for Kraven the Hunter and Mysterio. And, if a recent interview with Sanford Panitch has anything to say, then the latter rumor might just be true.

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Variety sat down with the Columbia Pictures president, and the site questioned Panitch about the Kraven reports. As expected, the executive played coy when asked, but he did have this to say:

"He's an awesome character. Let's just leave it at that."

Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Kraven and Mysterio were being shopped around for spin-offs after The Hollywood Reporter wrote a profile about Sony's new chief Tom Rothman. The piece indicated the studio is looking to make Kraven the Hunter a household name. The report was never confirmed by Sony, Columbia, or any other involved parties - but Panitch's roundabout comment does give fans hope that Kraven is on the studios' minds.

If you are not familiar with Kraven, then you should know the character is one of Spider-Man's prime baddies. The character was introduced in 1964 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Kraven saw Spider-Man as the pinnacle of prey, and the man dedicated his life to catching the hero to solidify his reputation as a hunter.

Given Sony's groundbreaking deal with Marvel Studios, there is always a chance Kraven could pop into the MCU. Fans have wanted to see Peter go up against the villain on the big screen for some time, and Tom Holland's take on Spider-Man seems ready to take on bigger baddies now that he's done with the Vulture. Still, Sony always has the option of keeping Kraven to itself and spinning out the character in a solo film. The studio already has plans to give characters like Venom, Black Cat, and Silver Sable spin-off treatments, so Kraven wouldn't be out of place if he got the same offer.

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A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, JacobBatalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, Kenneth Choi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.

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