With all the Kraven the Hunter talk recently, don’t be surprised if we get to see him on the big screen soon. Jon Watts played his hand recently when asked what Spidey villain he wants to use the most in the third MCU Spider-Man film, and he said this:
Oh, I would love Kraven. It’s just the trick of how do you do Kraven in a movie?
This puts some pressure on Sony, who had announced they wanted to move forward on a stand-alone Kraven film for their Spider-Man extended universe. So, now that fans know that the director of the MCU Spidey films “would love Kraven” in the next film, will Sony adjust their plans to put their version of Kraven on the back burner, or better yet, the trash?!
They better.
However Kraven is brought to life on the big screen, it will be long overdue. This is one Spidey villain fans have wanted to see adapted for a long time. The question remains: Who will play him? Here are some candidates:
Keanu Reeves
Reeves has never been more hot of a commodity than he is right now. Everybody wants a piece of this “Keanuaissance.” He can thank John Wick for that (so can his long-rumored Bill & Ted 3). Kevin Feige has even stated they talk to Keanu for every movie, but haven’t found the character for him.
Well, Mr. Feige, this could be it!
Kraven seems like a role Keanu could make come alive. We know Reeves is a bonafide-action badass of the highest degree. If there is anything extremely clear about his character, it’s that Wick is a hunter. If someone crosses him, they better run as far away as possible. Now imagine him dressed as Kraven hunting our favorite web-slinger?
Let’s do this Marvel.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Negan himself. Aside from his role as ‘The Comedian’ in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, JDM has only appeared in a brief scene as ‘Thomas Wayne’ in Snyder’s Batman v Superman. An actor of his talent, it’s shocking that neither Marvel nor DC has pursued him for a larger role yet. With the role of Kraven up-for-grabs, this seems like a no-brainer.
We already know Morgan relishes and thrives in the role of the antagonist. Despite The Walking Dead’s drastic decrease in viewership and quality, Morgan’s performance as Negan was nothing short of amazing. Arrogant, humorous, intimidating, chilling — all qualities that will translate perfectly to Kraven.
Having Holland and JDM exchange dialogue would be highly entertaining. This is a casting that Marvel should make happen without any hesitation, Morgan would give us an extremely memorable performance as Kraven.
Gerard Butler
Butler also seems like a no-brainer for this role. He definitely has the look down, especially if he regrows his ‘Leonidas’ beard. This is another shocking actor who hasn’t been in a comic book movie at all. He’s a big name and a versatile actor who would surely attract audiences. Marvel is like Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter, collecting big name stars to show off.
Even though he hasn’t had a hit film in awhile, people still know Gerard Butler. He’s also no stranger to the villain role. Despite the film being an enormous flop financially and critically, Butler’s intimidating performance as the villain in Gods of Egypt was certainly one of the very few bright spots. Butler’s screen presence is something that can’t be denied. He commands the screen and adding that presence to Kraven will give us all a very formidable foe to take on Spidey.
Clive Standen
Standen is a lesser-known name, but his acting ability is not. He’s also got the look down pat to suit Kraven. Physically, Standen has a very intimidating presence. Standing at 6’2″ and weighing close to 200 pounds, Standen would dwarf Holland, which could give a real David v Goliath feel to their battle.
While Standen doesn’t have a lot of high-profile film credits to his name, his role as ‘Rollo’ in History Channel’s hit show Vikings has given Standen good exposure and earned him a good-size following.
He is brilliant on Vikings and handles an emotionally complex character with ease. It’s clear that Standen is a versatile actor, but he’s also very capable of handling tough action sequences. If you’re a Vikings fan, just imagine Rollo going one-on-one with Spidey.
Pablo Schreiber
Schreiber only recently started getting bigger roles and becoming more of a commodity. Starting with his role in Michael Bay’s 2016 release, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi where he impressed many with his role. He has starred in 2018’s Den of Thieves opposite Gerard Butler and 50 Cent, 2018’s Skyscraper with The Rock, and had a prominent role in last year’s Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man.
Part of his success is definitely also due to his role as Mad Sweeney in Starz’s American Gods. Schreiber is an absolute stand-out in that show and steals every single scene he’s in. He’s an actor with great range and has played a variety of roles in his career. He played the villain role in Skyscraper, but it would be fun to see him be the main antagonist of a film. He has a lot to offer in terms of his talent, and the role of Kraven could be the high profile role he needs to truly become a household name.
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