Kraven The Hunter Will Feature Another Classic Spider-Man Villain, Played By A White Lotus Actor
Now we know where Quinn went when he paddled toward the horizon at the end of "The White Lotus": Fred Hechinger, the actor who played the teen son in HBO's satirical series last summer, is headed straight for the big screen Marvel superhero universe. Hechinger is set to play a key character in Sony Pictures' upcoming film "Kraven The Hunter," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Kraven The Hunter" will star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular character, a bad guy from the "Spider-Man" universe who in comics is portrayed as a deeply intimidating big game hunter who sometimes decides to bag himself some heroes. The project, which is set for a January 2023 release, is reportedly at least partly inspired by a comic run called "Kraven's Last Hunt," a surprisingly dark and twisted storyline by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck. While screenwriter Richard Wenk mentioned the possibility of a Spider-Man appearance in the film back in 2018, there's no official word on whether familiar Sony heroes will appear in the on-screen version of "Kraven The Hunter."
Hechinger is playing a master of disguise
According to THR, Hechinger is likely to be playing the role of Chameleon, Kraven's half-brother who is a master impersonator. In terms of the Marvel comics, Chameleon is the first-ever villain Peter Parker faces down as Spider-Man, appearing in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #1 back in 1963. A variation on the villain, Dimitri Smerdyakov, appeared in "Spider-Man: Far From Home" and was then played by Numan Acar.
"Kraven The Hunter" will be directed by "A Most Violent Year" filmmaker J.C. Chandor, with "The Equalizer" writer Richard Wenk and "Iron Man" screenwriting duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway in charge of the script. The upcoming Sony superhero slate is intriguing for a lot of reasons, but the creative team behind "Kraven The Hunter," a mix of folks known not just for superhero flicks, but for action movies and gritty dramas, is at the top of the list.
Hechinger is also an exciting addition to the project, as few young actors have been quite as ubiquitous as he has these past two years. Aside from playing frustrated teen Quinn in Mike White's resort-set comedy "The White Lotus," the actor also appeared as an enigmatic character in "The Woman in the Window," and as Simon in Netflix's popular "Fear Street" trilogy. He also made a splash elsewhere in television, popping up in Barry Jenkins' masterful series "The Underground Railroad," and currently appearing as real-life webcam entrepreneur Seth Warshavsky in Hulu's "Pam & Tommy."
"Kraven the Hunter" is scheduled to release on January 13, 2023.