Although Morbius did not live up to expectations, Sony’s Marvel universe is set to expand further with the addition of new projects such as Kraven the Hunter. The upcoming Spider-Man spin-off is headlined by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Avengers: Age of Ultron), and is set to tackle the origin story of Marvel’s titular villain.
Taylor-Johnson is joined by an all-star cast that includes Russell Crowe, Christopher Abbott and Ariana DeBose, along with Alessandro Nivola as his main villain. The exact details of the film’s plot are still being kept under wraps, but the star teased it part of this movementi.e. it would be to “humanize” Kraven and show that he is “flawed” as he learns about himself.
Now, ahead of its 2023 premiere, the film’s villain has revealed several notable details about his character and his backstory.
Kraven Actor Reveals Major Details About Spider-Man Spin-off
Alessandro Nivola, who is reportedly playing Sony Pictures’ main villain Kraven the Huntersit with me The Hollywood Reporter to talk about the upcoming Spider-Man spin-off.
When the exit pointed out his story with Craven director JC Chandor, Nivola reflected on his previous working relationship with him A more violent year:
“Yeah, it was all because I’d worked with him before on A Most Violent Year, and it’s funny because until this year, no director had ever hired me twice. And then within a year, David O. Russell cast me in a second film [Amsterdam], as is JC, so maybe that ship will turn. (Laughs.) But the most enticing part about Kraven was that JC was going to direct it. we had such a great time at A Most Violent Year. I also knew Chris Abbott from A Most Violent Year, so it was kind of a reunion in that way.”
The Many Newark Saints The actor also spoke about Chandor’s approach to shooting scenes for the film:
“All these movies have a certain formula, but JC said he wanted to shoot everything on location. The physical ability of the characters in the movie is also more grounded in reality. People aren’t flying around or anything. JC described was the most incredible Olympian you’ve ever seen. Plus, the role, which I’m not allowed to reveal yet, was just a real acting opportunity for me. You’ll see.”
Nivola also broke a key Craven plot point, revealing that he was transformed “physically” during the final moments of the film:
“It’s just a great character part, and I didn’t have to do any CGI. I didn’t have to do any green screen. I only transform, of course, in the final moments of the movie, so it’s just a classic baddie role.”
Nivola went on to share more details about his mysterious role, claiming that “It was as much an acting opportunity as any other film” that it’s over.
The Marvel actor also teased that the Spider-Man spin-off has one “time jump”, indicating that his character “it changes a lot” because:
“He had a really interesting, complex psychology and personal history to draw on, and the movie has a time jump in it, so the character changes a lot from the way he was at the beginning of the movie. It was as much of an acting opportunity as any other film I’ve done, and I didn’t have to deal with wearing a spandex outfit or anything like that.”
On a side note, THR was also mentioned in a previous interview Knight of the Moon Villain actor Ethan Hawke, who is also Nivola’s neighbor, where he told them a story about how he ran into Oscar Isaac at a coffee shop in Brooklyn and walked away with a Marvel role.
The interviewer then asked Nivola if he also got his Marvel role by bumping into someone at the same coffee shop in Brooklyn, to which the actor only laughed.
Who is Alessandro Nivola’s Kraven character?
At this stage, it is still unknown who Alessandro Nivola is playing for Kraven the Hunter except for his recent comments confirming that he is the main villain of the film.
Despite this, the actor reveals that his character will “physically” are transformed during his last moments Craven could imply that Nivola is playing a regular guy to begin with, thus limiting the possible perspectives for this character.
Many have theorized that Nivola is playing Gregory Herd, a brilliant engineer specializing in advanced cybernetics. In the Marvel comics, Hurd is a member of the Gathering of the Five ritual and was given the gift of “Death”.
It is possible that the iconic ritual appears Cravenand could transform Hurd into something hideous that would pit him against Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s titular villain/anti-hero.
Nivola’s comment on the film that has a “time jump” it could also be hinted that she has a history with Kraven, possibly teasing a years-long conflict between the two families. Whatever the case, Nivola seems like a formidable villain who would test Kraven’s limits.
Kraven the Hunter is scheduled to open in theaters on January 13, 2023.
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