Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, & more were reportedly offered Kraven the Hunter

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The news of Aaron Taylor-Johnson landing the lead in Sony's Marvel film, Kraven the Hunter, was a bit of a surprise because the actor's name really wasn't in the running for the role. That's not to say it's a bad choice. Taylor-Johnson is a completely capable actor and, once the news was announced, I could honestly see him embodying the character pretty well. Several other names had been tossed around for a while now by fans and industry insiders in regards to who should take on the role and now reports are emerging that Sony Pictures actually offered the part to some high-profile names before landing on Aaron Taylor-Johnson as their choice.

According to a post on Twitter by "Deadline" senior film reporter Justin Kroll, who was one of the first to drop the Taylor-Johnson casting news, Sony Pictures offered the role to several other people including Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, John David Washington, and Adam Driver. It was ultimately footage of Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the action film Bullet Train that won over Sony execs which led to them moving quickly on securing Taylor-Johnson for the part. You can check out Kroll's Twitter post below:

The news does track with some recent casting rumors that dropped online before Aaron Taylor-Johnson was cast. There were several reports that Keanu Reeve was offered the role but ultimately ended up passing. Reeves was also the subject of a lot of fan-casting for the part and you can find numerous images from online by different artists who tried to detail what the John Wick star would look like as Kraven The Hunter. I personally hadn't heard of any rumors regarding Brad Pitt or John David Washington but I wouldn't be surprised if they were approached at some point during the film's development. There is a connection between Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor Johnson, however. Pitt will star alongside the actor in David Leitch's Bullet Train, the film that Sony execs saw footage from and made them land on Aaron Taylor-Johnson as their guy.

Kraven the Hunter was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and was first introduced in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #15 back in 1964. Originally known as Sergei Kravinoff, Kraven was raised in Russia during the time of the Russian Revolution. Soon he finds employment in Kenya, Africa and he begins using the typical tools of the hunter but he eventually develops a preference to take down large animals with his bare hands. After meeting a Voodoo witch doctor named Calypso, Kraven is given a herbal potion that enhances his strength, speed, and senses, as well as extending his life. Kraven crosses Spider-Man's path when he tires of big game hunting and becomes obsessed with being the man to catch the web-slinger. 

Directed by J.C. Chandor, Kraven the Hunter will be written by Richard Wenk and the writer has assured fans that the movie will "adhere very closely to the lore" of the character and he describes him as a "very grounded character" who would eventually "come face to face with Spider-Man." I'm not sure how much validity is in that final statement because Spider-Man being shared by Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios makes all of this a bit tricky but it is hard to imagine Kraven the Hunter, as we know him, not crossing paths with Spider-Man. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Do YOU think Aaron Taylor-Johnson was the right choice for the character? Could YOU see the other four candidates take on the role? Kraven the Hunter hits screens on January 13, 2023.