Aaron Taylor-Johnson beamed in to Las Vegas’ CinemaCon on Monday to show the first footage from his anticipated Marvel film “Kraven the Hunter” — an ultraviolent spree of blood and throbbing biceps that pleased the annual convention of theater owners.
Taylor-Johnson called the J.C. Chandor-directed project “a Marvel movie grounded heavily in the real world. We know he is a fierce hunter, a highly trained killer.” He then gave an answer to what he deemed “the internet’s biggest question” — whether the film would receive an R-rating.
“Fuck yeah, it will be rated R,” the star said to huge applause from the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino.
In the world premiere footage, Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven is a tactical stalker with a penchant for cropped leather vests and five-star hair. He shreds his victims viscerally, often with primitive claw-shaped weapons. Blood pours freely over the screen and, at one intense moment, Taylor-Johnson rips the flesh off a target’s neck with his teeth and spits it out. So yeah, it’s rated R.
Taylor-Johnson is joined by an ensemble that includes Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Ariana DeBose, “Girls” alum Christopher Abbott, and “The Many Saints of Newark” star Alessandro Nivola.
Ahead of the “Kraven” preview, the studio tantalized journalists with a press release promising that “our formidable supervillain’s signature fur” would be revealed. Moviegoers could always use more signature fur.
“Kraven the Hunter” originated in Marvel comic books but has never appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Historically, he has been portrayed as a former Soviet soldier who took his love for hunting to extremes — often looking to collect Spider-Man’s head to prove he is the greatest hunter alive.
Licensing rights to the character are owned by Sony Pictures, along with, of course, Spider-Man and the studio’s successful homegrown franchise “Venom,” with Tom Hardy. Sony has also launched Morbius with Jared Leto, to less impressive box office results.
Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach produce “Kraven.” Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk wrote the script. Chandor’s credits include the acclaimed Wall Street drama “Margin Call,” the harrowing Robert Redford drama “All Is Lost,” Oscar Issac’s “A Most Violent Year” and Netflix’s Ben Affleck shoot-em-up “Triple Frontier.”