Gladiator star Russell Crowe has joined Aaron Taylor-Johnson (known for playing Kick-Ass and Quicksilver) in Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off Kraven the Hunter. This comes not long after the news that Dakota Johnson has been cast as Madame Web in another Spider-Man off-shoot. We also have the upcoming Morbius in Sony’s mini-version of the MCU.
It is not yet known what role Crowe will be playing, but we do know that Kraven is a big game hunter who wants nothing than to bag himself a Spider-Man. It is not yet clear whether Tom Holland, or perhaps another version of Spidey will be popping up in any of these spin-offs. Venom has already started to crossover with Holland’s Spidey, so Kraven could potentially do so too.
JC Chandor (A Most Violent Year, Margin Call) will direct Kraven the Hunter, which is slated for release in January 2023. Taylor-Johnson has signed a multi-picture deal. Like Taylor-Johnson, Crowe is no stranger to superhero movies, having played Superman’s Kryptonian father, Jor-El, in the DCEU. This was coincidental, as Crowe visiting Henry Cavill’s school when he was a teenager inspired him to go into acting.
Oscar-winning Australian actor Russell Crowe’s Hollywood break-through role was in LA Confidential (1997). He then appeared in The Insider (1999), which was nominated for Best Picture, and Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001), which both won Best Picture.
Some of his other roles include Master and Commander (2003), Robin Hood (2010), Les Miserables (2012), The Nice Guys (2016), and The Mummy (2017). The Mummy was supposed to have launched a Universal Monsters “dark universe” which didn’t quite get off the ground, at least in the way it was originally intended.
While we wait to find out if Kraven the Hunter will join the pantheon of great Spidey foes, check out our ranking of the Spider-Man villains.