Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” is surprisingly generating a ton of buzz, and if you’re wondering why, it’s pretty simple – Sony is giving it an R rating.
Kraven the Hunter is rated R for “violence and language” by the MPAA, which is way past the standard PG-13 rating most of the comic book movies from Marvel Studios, Sony, and DC Studios get. It’s a rating fit for someone like Kraven the Hunter, who’s often depicted as a ruthless and merciless hunter who’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Kraven is kind of like the Punisher in that sense, except that he’s got a wicked crush on Spider-Man and he’s, well, a bad guy.
Sony dropped the first footage of Kraven the Hunter at CinemaCon 2023, which features Rhino, one of the most well-known villains from Spider-Man’s infamous rogues’ gallery. One clip shows Rhino rampaging what’s presumed is New York City, destroying everything in his path with relative ease. Sources claim the impressive and realistic CGI design of Rhino had left audiences impressed if not excited for the film.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson will take on the lead role of Kraven. Joining the Kick-ass actor are Tony Revelori and J.K. Simmons, who will reprise their MCU roles as Flash Tompson and J. Jonah Jameson, respectively.
According to available information, Kraven the Hunter will feature other Spider-Man villains such as Chameleon and Dmitri Smerdyakov.
Kraven the Hunter is one of the many films Sony Pictures Entertainment is currently working on that’s part of the growing Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. It’s the first R-rated comic book superhero movie venture by Sony and one of the few in the same genre. It joins the likes of Logan, Blade, and Deadpool, among several others. Sony hopes it can replicate the same box office success the aforementioned films enjoyed. But, audiences are doubtful, especially after the awful outing Sony had with Morbius last year. This, alongside the fact that the R rating will alienate younger audiences, makes Kraven the Hunter quite the risk.
Nevertheless, audiences can look forward to watching Kraven the Hunter in theaters on October 6.
