Sony is moving full-force to expand their Spider-Man Universe of films, with the next movie in production being Kraven. It’s already been reported that Aaron Taylor-Johnson will play the titular character and that Russell Crowe has been tapped to play his father, Nikolai Kravinoff.
News has recently sprung, however, of two more actors being courted to portray major characters from the Spider-Man universe in the film.
A Family Affair
Deadline is reporting that Fred Hechinger has been signed (though the news is unconfirmed) to play the villain Chameleon. Chameleon, real name Dimitri Smerdyakov, is Spider-Man’s shape-shifting arch-nemesis and also the half-brother of Kraven.
Hechinger is known for his role as Simon/Isaac in the Netflix trilogy Fear Street. He caught Sony’s attention with his role in HBO’s The White Lotus, where he played socially awkward Quinn Mossbacher.
Between the news of Crowe as Kraven’s father and Hechinger as Kraven’s half-brother, it seems that writers Matt Halloway and Richard Wenk and director J.C. Chandor are exploring Kraven’s personal life.
The other casting news surrounding Kraven is that Sony is eyeing Taylour Paige for the role of Calypso. Calypso, a voodoo priestess in the comic books, is another character with close ties to Kraven. The two are sometimes portrayed as lovers.
Paige recently starred in the film Zola, a black comedy based on the true events of a stripper and her friend making a road trip to Florida. Though Paige is light on credits, her performance in the film was enough to catch Sony’s attention, as well as get her cast in a remake of the 1984 film The Toxic Avenger alongside Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon.
So far, this casting news is either rumors or as yet unconfirmed, so nothing is set in stone yet. Considering the film is slated for a January 13th, 2023 , release, Sony needs to start getting the film shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re just waiting for the ink to dry on the contracts before giving the confirmation. Either way, Kraven is shaping up to be a grand addition to the SSU alongside Venom and (possibly) Morbius.
