Kraven the Hunter: Ariana DeBose signs on to play Calypso

Deadline has reported that Ariana DeBose is set to join Aaron Taylor Johnson in Kraven the Hunter. The film is the latest installment of Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters that kicked off with Venom in 2018. As far as who Ariana DeBose will be playing in Kraven the Hunter, that news is unconfirmed but it’s said that she will step into the shoes of Calypso, a voodoo priestess who uses magic potions and is the occasional partner and lover of Kraven.

Ariana DeBose is coming off of some serious buzz thanks to her scene-stealing role in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. She recently took home the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress and has nominations in the same category for the BAFTA’s and Oscars as well. In addition to Ariana DeBose and Aaron Taylor Johnson, Kraven the Hunter is also set to star Russell Crowe as well as Fred Hechinger, who was recently cast as the Chameleon.

Born Sergei Kravinoff, Kraven the Hunter is a Russian immigrant whose aristocratic family fled to America following the Russian Revolution. With intensive training and the help of a potion which gave him superhuman abilities, including increased strength, speed, reflexes, and enhanced senses, Kraven became a fearsome big-game hunter who tackled the most dangerous game on the planet, preferably with his bare hands. Kraven is also one of Spider-Man’s most famous villains, and, in one of his most memorable comic-book stories, Kraven’s Last Hunt, even defeats Spider-Man by seemingly killing him and burying him. Kraven then assumed Spider-Man’s identity by donning his own Spidey outfit and set out to prove himself superior at his former adversaries own game. J.C. Chandor is set to direct Kraven the Hunter from a script by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk. Ariana DeBose will next star alongside Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, and Bryce Dallas Howard in Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle for Apple TV.

Kraven the Hunter will hit theaters on January 13, 2023.