A Kraven's Last Hunt adaptation may happen under one HUGE condition

If you were to ask Spider-Man fans their favorite comic-book series, chances are a recurring answer would be Kraven's Last Hunt. Writer J.M. DeMatteis created a dark and mature story in which Spidey takes a step back and the World's Greatest Hunter steals the spotlight. It's a striking character study with interesting themes and one amazing finale which I won't spoil here in case you haven't had the chance to experience it by yourself. Considering all the praise for the series, it isn't a surprise Spidey fans have been eager to see a big-screen adaptation of it. On the bright side, we maybe aren't too far off from that day as we initially thought... or are we?

Kraven's Last Hunt could be on the cards if Kraven's movie succeeds

During an interview with Collider, Kraven the Hunter director J.C. Chandor revealed he and lead actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson would love to make a big-screen adaptation of Kraven's Last Hunt. But there's a big catch: Their upcoming movie needs to succeed first before they can plan what's next for Sergei:

"It’s essentially this building of a villain. The final piece in that, for Aaron and for me, was in Kraven’s Last Hunt, which, if this thing works and is a success, that’s where we’d have this story end (...) The rule I set for myself is by the final frame of our movie, you had to believe that character could live in a world where Kraven’s Last Hunt is a real thing (...) You’re getting to see the meetings in the road where one direction leads to Kraven’s Last Hunt, and one leads to success and more moderated happiness."

It's worth remembering Aaron Taylor-Johnson also wants his character to cross paths with Spider-Man down the line. Coupled with J.C. Chandor's comments, it seems the goal is definitely clear and the only thing preventing its realization is the success of Kraven the Hunter. Unfortunately, that's a taller order than it might appear at first glance. Early projections track the movie will open to just $20-$25 million domestically, which is even less than the $39 million earned by the infamous Morbius. Besides, it was recently reported that Sony's Spider-Man Universe is officially dead and no more projects will come out of it. Yes, that could change if — for whatever reason — Kraven turned out to be a huge commercial success. But let's face it: that seems highly unlikely.

This may not be a Kraven problem — even if it's undeniable he's not as popular or beloved as other villains such as Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus. Case in point: Venom: The Last Dance is looking to be the lowest-grossing film in the franchise by the end of its theatrical run even with the big-screen debut of fan-favorite Knull and the shocking death of the symbiote. Interest in the SSU has rapidly worn off, and projects like El Muerto and Jackpot are almost definitely scrapped at this point. With that in mind, Kraven's future may be decided even before his stand-alone movie is released, and comments about bringing Kraven's Last Hunt to life may be a last-minute effort to revive a bit of interest in the franchise.

Unfortunately, it may be too late to fix the bigger problem at hand. Even if the Venom movies are a fun time if you turn your brain off, no other entry in the SSU has gathered any critical acclaim — earning future projects a bad reputation in the process. Besides, audiences know the overarching story won't lead anywhere since Spider-Man hasn't been involved. Granted, Sony might have tricked us into believing Spidey would have some sort of easter egg in Morbius with heavily deceiving trailers, but that's a shady strategy that will only work once. Many feel there's no point in witnessing a two-hour origin story of a Spider-Man villain who'll never get to face the wall-crawler. So even if there are plans for a big-screen adaptation of Kraven's Last Hunt, that day may not come any time soon.

Kraven the Hunter will be released on Dec.13, 2024.