Even with low pre-release expectations, not to mention the dismal box office figures of prior Sony’s Spider-Man Universe titles, Kraven the Hunter was a disaster over its domestic opening weekend. Barely cracking $11 million over its first three days of release, this J.C. Chandor directorial effort was dead on arrival. It was an anemic ending for a movie that was long doomed to a poor debut. Chaos swirled around Kraven the Hunter from the moment it was announced that this Spider-Man baddie would be getting his own movie. Incredulousness about the project’s existence then turned to mockery over every step of its marketing campaign.
Videos by ComicBook.com
As if all that wasn’t enough to solidify a tormented reputation for Kraven the Hunter, there was also its incredibly beleaguered production process. Trying to get Kraven the Hunter off the ground was a costly endeavor, rife with indecisive casting and unforeseen complications. A movie that audiences clearly weren’t clamoring for was also a nightmare for Sony/Columbia executives to even get onto the screen.
Kraven’s Troubled Casting Process
After months of rumors about the project’s potential existence, Kraven the Hunter was officially confirmed to be in development in August 2018 when The Equalizer 2 screenwriter Richard Wenk began penning the script. Two months later, Wenk divulged core details about the project, including that the movie would see Kraven “come face to face with Spider-Man.” While the Venom movies tiptoed around being too explicit about Peter Parker/Spider-Man (save for that Let There Be Carnage mid-credits scene), Wenk had grand plans about seeing the web-slinger contend with Kraven.
Wenk also explained that what gravitated this action movie veteran to the project was Kraven the Hunter’s “grounded” nature. Specifically, “[Kraven] doesn’t have a lot of crazy superpowers.” This already suggests a massive chasm between the movie Wenk was writing and what audiences saw in the initial marketing, with Kraven’s first trailer hammering home that the movie version of the villain could communicate with animals and channel their superpowers (unlike his comics counterpart). Even in the final version of Kraven the Hunter, a magical elixir from Calypso’s family gives Kraven enhanced strength and abilities (like razor-sharp sight like a hawk) tied to animals.
The gulf between Wenk’s comments and what the film would become already suggests the creative challenges Kraven faced. These problems would manifest further when Aaron Taylor-Johnson was cast in the movie’s titular lead role. Allegedly, Sony’s original choices for the role included the likes of Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Adam Driver, and John David Washington. That’s a massive (read: unfocused) range in terms of body types and age for that lineup of leading men – heck, Pitt is nearly twice as old as Taylor-Johnson. Whether intentionally or not, these alternate casting choices suggest Sony was scrambling for any A-lister to anchor the movie, rather than following a concrete creative direction.
Reportedly, Taylor-Johnson’s performance in the Sony movie Bullet Train ultimately secured him the Kraven role. Whatever led him to this part, it followed a lengthy and discouraging casting process. Principal photography would officially begin the following February, nearly three years before Kraven‘s eventual release. An original January 2023 release date was eventually scuttled in favor of two further additional temporary release dates, before Sony finally settled on a December 13, 2024 launchpad. What was with all the postponement? That’s where the next chapter in Kraven’s tortured history comes into play.
[RELATED: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Holds This Weird Modern Golden Globes Record]
Kraven the Hunter’s Endless Delays Explained
After its opening weekend, reports emerged that Kraven the Hunter’s budget increased by at least $20 million thanks to 2023’s Hollywood labor strikes, which partially explains why Kraven the Hunter suffered relentless new release date changes. Also informing its unstable release plans were reshoots, which Chandor would later explain were “strategic” and meant to streamline the narrative. Sometimes, when a blockbuster that went through the reshoots chipper comes out, reports quickly emerge over what allegedly was changed in these reshoots. The Predator and the original Suicide Squad are classic examples of detailed allegations (as well as evidence like old set photos) manifesting online to offer a glimpse into how blockbuster movie sausage gets made.
As of this writing, no such reports have made their way online to explain in detail what Kraven the Hunter’s reshoots consisted of. One element, though, that clearly got dialed back was the original plan for Kraven’s mystical connection to animals. In the original red-band Kraven trailer, Christopher Abbott’s The Foreigner explicitly says Kraven “uses a connection with animals to track his prey” while showing Kraven cooperating with hawks and wolves to viciously attack evil humans. In the final film, Kraven possesses some abilities reminiscent of animal senses and man-beast bonding; however, Kraven pulling an Aquaman or Squirrel Girl and explicitly calling upon animals to aid him in his vigilante activities doesn’t happen in the final film.
Furthermore, additional sequences glimpsed in the marketing feature Kraven in his comic book-accurate fur jacket, moving through exterior locations (like a cave); these are also M.I.A in the final cut. We’ll likely never know for sure, but it seems like Kraven’s reshoots were meant to dial back the more comic-bookish aspects of its titular hero.
The uncertainty over how “goofy” or “preposterous” Kraven’s character would be exemplifies this project’s creative turmoil. The folks behind Kraven the Hunter couldn’t figure out key elements of their lead – from the casting to just how superhero-fantastical the film should be. On paper, Kraven the Hunter was supposed to be a slam dunk for Sony, an easy Marvel Comics adaptation with little baggage and big Spider-Man Universe potential. Instead, it became one of 2024’s more troubled productions and a cautionary tale for future comic book movies.
