Deadline reported today that Ariana DeBose is set to join the growing cast of Sony’s Marvel film Kraven The Hunter. DeBose has risen to fame recently from her supporting role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, for which she won a SAG award this past Sunday.
DeBose is rumored to play Calypso alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven, Russell Crowe in an unknown role, and Fred Hechinger as Chameleon, Kraven’s brother. Kraven is a legacy comic book character with an anti-heroic reputation who has had many run-ins with the likes of Spider-Man and Venom. Calypso is a priestess of sorts who uses potions and is another villain to Spider-Man; and an intermittent lover of Kraven’s.
The film will be directed by J.C. Chandor and was written by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach will produce.
Sony’s Marvel Universe is tangentially related to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, but for the most part, stands alone. Sony is coming off a strong year for their Marvel Universe in 2021 with Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home, co-produced with Disney. The studio also has Morbius, starring Jared Leto, releasing on April 1 this year. Further in the future, the studio has plans for more Spider-Man films and Venom films, and Dakota Johnson has recently been cast as Madame Web, another popular comic book character for her own movie.
Kraven The Hunter is currently in pre-production and is set to release on January 13, 2023.