With Spider-Man busy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony has been relying on other characters from the Web-Slinger's mythology to build its separate Spider-verse (not to be confused with the animated continuity Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is set in). Venom got the ball rolling this past weekend, Morbius is the next one to go into production and among the other projects in development is a Kraven the Hunter movie. However, according to writer Richard Wenk, this theatrical Kraven tale will see the eponymous character crossing paths with Spider-Man. As Wenk answered when asked for an update on Kraven the Hunter:
It is in the Spider-Man universe. It's going to adhere very closely to the lore of Kraven the Hunter. And he is going to come face to face with Spider-Man.
Every now and then we hear from someone at Sony or connected to one of these Spider-verse projects, like Venom director Ruben Fleischer, express interest in having Spider-Man pop up in this particular Marvel franchise, but this is the first time we've outright heard that there are plans for him to appear. Richard Wenk acknowledged that he's still in the early stages of writing Kraven the Hunter, so it's possible the story could change somewhere down the line. For right now, he plans on having Kraven clash with the Webbed Wonder.
It's curious that while Venom, a character whose very existence relies on Spider-Man in the comics (i.e. Eddie Brock bonding with the symbiote), had to go through a different kind of origin story for his own movie, there apparently aren't any issues with Kraven interacting with Spider-Man in his movie. While some might argue that Kraven is better utilized as being the villain in an actual Spider-Man movie, even if the costumed Peter Parker serves in a supporting capacity in Kraven the Hunter, getting to see the two of them finally duke it out in a cinematic setting will surely be a treat for many longtime Spidey fans.
During his interview with Discussing Film, Richard Wenk also touched on the source material that's inspiring Kraven the Hunter, with one story in particular being closely looked at. Wenk stated:
I think that where we're all circling is the "Kraven's Last Hunt," and whether this is the precursor to that movie, whether it will include it, we're talking about those things. And even the idea that maybe Kraven could be like Kill Bill, basically a two-part movie. It's all in the mix.
Published in 1987, "Kraven's Last Hunt" saw Kraven the Hunter finally defeating Spider-Man and then donning his adversary's costume to prove that he would be better at vigilantism. Given that Kraven and Spidey had been fighting for year when "Kraven's Last Hunt" unfolded, obviously the movie wouldn't be a direct adaptation, but assuming Spider-Man remains a player in Richard Wenk's story, I am interested to learn what elements Wenk ends up using.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest on what's happening with Kraven the Hunter and all the other Spider-verse projects. In the meantime, be sure to look through our 2018 and 2019 release schedules to plan your trips to the theater accordingly.
