Sony Pictures’ Kraven the Hunter has found its first leading lady. Deadline is reporting that Ariana DeBose has been cast in the film, potentially as Kraven’s occasional lover, Calypso.
Writer Denny O’Neil and artist Alan Weiss created Calypso in 1980 as a Spider-Man villain in Marvel’s comic book universe. She is a voodoo priestess and an expert in potions who claims to have magical powers. Calypso has occasionally partnered with Kraven, but she has also proven to be a viable threat on her own.
Over the weekend, DeBose won a Screen Actors Guild award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story. She has also appeared in Schmigadoon! and The Prom, as well as Broadway productions of Bring It On: The Musical, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and Hamilton.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is headlining Kraven as the titular character, a longtime foe of Spider-Man. Kraven is considered to be one of the greatest hunters in the Marvel Universe. However, the film will be completely separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it’s unlikely that Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven will have any connection to Spider-Man. Instead, the story may position Kraven as an antihero.
Production on the movie is expected to begin soon. So far, the only other confirmed cast members are Russell Crowe and Fred Hechinger. It’s unclear whom Crowe will portray, but Hechinger is rumored to be playing Kraven’s half-brother, Dmitri Smerdyakov/Chameleon.
J.C. Chandor will directing the film from a script by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk. Kraven the Hunter will hit theaters on January 13, 2023.
