Alessandro Nivola has gone from the “Sopranos” to the Spider-verse.
Nivola joins Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter,” starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose and Fred Hechinger. The latest in Sony Pictures’ universe of Marvel characters, which includes the “Spider-Man,” “Venom” and “Morbius” films, “Kraven the Hunter” is set to be released theatrically Jan. 13, 2023.
Taylor-Johnson stars as Kraven, who is among Marvel’s most iconic antiheroes and one of Spider-Man’s most formidable enemies. Nivola will reportedly play the film’s villain, with Crowe in a likewise unspecified role. DeBose suits up as Calypso, a voodoo priestess who is the on-and-off lover of Kraven. The character first appeared in “Spider-Man” comics in the early 1980s as an adversary of Marvel’s teen web-slinger with the power of mind control.
“Kraven the Hunter” is directed by J.C. Chandor — marking a reunion between Nivola and the filmmaker after 2014’s “A Most Violent Year” — with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing. Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk wrote the screenplay.
Nivola most recently led the “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” as as Dickie Moltisanti. The actor is also known for his work in “American Hustle” and “Disobedience,” among others. He next appears opposite Alison Brie in the Jeff Baena-directed comedy “Spin Me Round,” which debuts at SXSW on March 12. Upcoming, he’s nabbed a role in David O. Russell’s latest (which boasts an all-star ensemble led by Christian Bale and Margot Robbie), plus he’ll appear in Noah Baumbach’s “White Noise” (with Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig) and “Boston Strangler” with Keira Knightley.
Nivola is repped by CAA, Independent Talent Group in the UK, and Range Media Partners.
Deadline was first to report news of Nivola’s casting.