The ‘Spider-Man’ universe over at Sony just keeps on growing. After last night’s surprising news that Olivia Wilde is set to helm a female-fronted superhero film in the Sony/Marvel universe, it appears the studio isn’t ready to stop now, as the forthcoming “Kraven the Hunter” feature has finally found its director.
READ MORE: Olivia Wilde Will Direct A Female-Centered Marvel Movie For Sony’s Spider-Verse
According to Deadline, J.C. Chandor is set to direct “Kraven the Hunter” for Sony. Much like “Venom” and the forthcoming “Morbius,” ‘Kraven’ is Sony’s attempt to take a character that is typically a villain and painting him as more of an anti-hero. As the title implies, ‘Kraven’ tells the story of a man that is an accomplished big game hunter. However, in the comics, he’s introduced as a formidable foe for Spidey, as the hunter aims to take on his most challenging prey yet, Spider-Man.
Obviously, that won’t be the story for the film. But there is an interesting story that the studio could tackle, but that would make the film very much an R-rated, dark, gritty tale. The most famous story featuring Kraven is called “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” This story talks of the final confrontation between the villain and Spider-Man, where Kraven wins, takes over the Spider-Man identity and fights crime himself. After some plot machinations force Spidey to return, Kraven has seemingly found peace and is done hunting. He then goes home and shoots himself. Definitely dark, but one of the best Marvel stories of all time.
And if you want dark, J.C. Chandor is your guy. He’s probably most famous for directing films such as “A Most Violent Year” and the recent “Triple Frontier.” Both are far more than your typical action thrillers, as they have deeper meanings and deal with societal issues. This isn’t the first time he’s been mentioned with superheroes, as he reportedly turned down the “Gambit” job at Fox at one point. To say he’s an interesting choice for a superhero film is an understatement. That being said, we’re definitely intrigued.
Richard Wenk, the man behind the “Equalizer” films wrote the script, also hinting at a darker take on the character. Sony has yet to announce a release date or casting for the film, but with Chandor taking over, we should probably expect some big-name actors lining up to play the hunter.