Kraven the Hunter: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Teases Differences in Spider-Man Villain From His Other Comic Book Roles

Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web are both in production and mark Sony’s next two movies based on the vast world of Spider-Man comics characters. Kraven the Hunter is set to star MCU alum Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the titular role, and also feature Ariana DeBose, Russell Crowe, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Fred Hechinger. Taylor-Johnson has previously teased that the movie will feature “the hunter that we all want,” and he recently explained to The Hollywood Reporter how it will differ from his other comic book roles such as playing the titular character in Kick-Ass and Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

“Absolutely. Like you said, I’m not here to play the same character twice. I, as a person, am naturally changing and evolving. New things inspire me, and you grow as a person. So I can only move forward and play things I haven’t done before. I like a challenge, and I like to step outside of my comfort zone, often. It’s more interesting to go from an indie to a blockbuster or whatever it may be. Some people like to go on holiday to the same place every year, but I like to explore different places. So there’s a lot that really excited me about the character of Kraven. Sometimes, these roles come about, and you have to truly believe in the character. You’re going to be in that skin for a while, and you have to believe in what you’re saying. So there was a lot about Kraven that I really loved, and I’m excited to share it at some point,” Taylor-Johnson explained.

The actor is currently starring alongside Brad Pitt in Bullet Train and confirmed he landed the role of Kraven because the folks at Sony were so impressed by his dailies in the David Leitch-directed film. 

“Yeah, I feel very fortunate,” Taylor-Johnson shared. “It’s one of those magical and rare moments where the stars align from just doing your job the best you can. I was turning up to work and just loving everything. And then someone else further up the totem pole was looking down and noticing the hard work and what I was trying to achieve. So it’s always really lovely when that happens, but it doesn’t happen very often, if at all. In this case, there was stuff coming out of the rushes, and then I got a call, saying, “We’re thinking of you for this thing.” That’s when they put me in touch with J.C. Chandor, the director, and Matt Tolmach, the producer, and we all hit it off. So I’m very blessed that Kraven was the next project, and to be with the same studio, Sony, was really wonderful.”

Kraven the Hunter is currently slated to arrive in theaters on January 13, 2023.