Ariana DeBose Joins Sony's Spider-Man Universe Movie Kraven The Hunter - Report

Actor Ariana DeBose (Hamilton, West Side Story) is the latest addition to the cast of Marvel's Kraven the Hunter. Deadline was the first to report, and citing unnamed sources is indicating that DeBose will portray Calypso, in Sony's Spider-Man villain movie universe.

In the comics, Calypso Ezili is a voodoo priestess of Haitian descent and a one-time love interest of Kraven's--who also seemingly enjoyed driving him into fits of rage and stoking his hatred of Spider-Man. The DeBose casting news follows a similar recent report from the same publication that Fred Hechinger, who recently had a memorable turn as the screen-addicted teenager turned rafting enthusiast in HBO's White Lotus, will reportedly play Chameleon.

The film, titled Kraven the Hunter, is currently scheduled to hit theaters on January 13, 2023. The once long-rumored movie is one of many Spider-Man characters getting their own big-screen treatment in the growing Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. Other films in the growing universe include Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and the much-delayed Morbius film starring Jared Leto (which is now expected out April 1, 2022). A Madame Web movie or potentially series is also currently taking shape--actor Dakota Johnson (The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Social Network) is in consideration for the titular role.

Kraven the Hunter, born Sergei Kravinoff, is a big game hunter obsessed with Spider-Man. The character's most iconic story is 1987's Kraven's Last Hunt, in which he "killed" and buried Spider-Man and then impersonated the web-slinger for two weeks to prove that he was the superior hero. The story ended with Kraven leaving photographic proof of his time as Spider-Man for the police as a suicide note.

Kraven the Hunter is slated to hit theaters on January 13, 2023.