Everyone’s familiar with the rocky road Sony’s Spider-Verse has traveled so far, minus the inclusion of Spider-Man himself. Despite this, the director of the upcoming film Kraven the Hunter believes it’s worth giving his movie a chance.
Let’s talk about Venom, Morbius, and Madame Web for a second. All these films have three main things in common: they’re linked to Spider-Man, they’re created by Sony, and unfortunately, they didn’t quite hit the mark. Alright, maybe Venom’s the kind of bad that’s actually fun to watch—but for the sake of argument, let’s group them together for now. Everybody knows they didn’t really land well with audiences, including J.C. Chandor, the director of Kraven the Hunter. This film is another exploration of a Spider-Man villain that, yet again, skips the beloved web-slinger. In a discussion with ComicBook, Chandor candidly acknowledged the lukewarm reception of the previous films but still urged fans to give his project a fair shot.
“I’m not diving too heavily into specifics,” Chandor admitted. “But as a filmmaker, especially over the past few years with everyone invested in this universe, it’s clear that many fans have been disappointed with various choices and outcomes in Sony’s Spider-Man world.”
He continued, “Meanwhile, some films have been major hits. Sure, we’ve had our ups and downs, but people need to give us a shot, set aside any previous disappointments, and support this film. Let’s start fresh with this one.” I’d argue that he’s being a tad optimistic here. Of the five live-action films in Sony’s Spider-Verse, three did well—those being the Venom movies, centering on a character far more beloved than Morbius or Madame Web. So, let’s be honest here; calling it a mixed success rate might be stretching the truth a bit.
Chandor went on to express confidence that fans will “see we’ve done everything possible to present a truly entertaining story. By the end of the movie, there’s potential for much more. My aim was to keep our movie distinct, safeguard it, and just tell an amazing story. If things go well, there will be plenty of exciting opportunities ahead.”
What are these exciting opportunities? Well, your guess is as good as mine. They’ll likely hinge on how well the film performs, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Kraven the Hunter is set to hit theaters in just a couple of weeks on December 13. Mark your calendars!
