Alessandro Nivola is set to play the villain in Sony’s next Spider-Man spin-off, Kraven the Hunter, and recently spoke about bringing his character to life without the use of CGI.

Following in the footsteps of Tom Hardy’s Venom franchise and Jared Leto’s Morbius, Sony’s Kraven the Hunter is the studio’s latest Marvel movie based on one of the Spider-Man villains to whom they hold the film rights. This time, Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be bringing Sergei Kravinoff to life.

Rumors suggest Alessandro Nivola is playing the Foreigner, though this is not yet confirmed. However, the actor has revealed his role involves no CGI, allowing him to fully embody the character on set.

‘A Classic Villain Role’

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Alessandro Nivola opened up about the experience of bringing his Marvel villain to life for Kraven the Hunter.

Talking about director J.C. Chandor’s approach to Kraven the Hunter, Nivola touched upon what a difference shooting the film entirely on location made to the reality of the comic book movie. This is something the actor said extended into the director’s approach to the characters’ “more grounded” physical abilities.

Discussing Chandor’s approach to Kraven, Alessandro Nivola said:

“These movies all have a certain formula to them, but J.C. said that he wanted to shoot all on location. The physical ability of the characters in the movie is also more grounded in reality. People aren’t flying around or anything. J.C. described it as the most incredible Olympic athlete you’ve ever seen.”

Nivola then went on to discuss his character specifically. While he doesn’t confirm which Marvel villain he is set to play, he did reveal the character is realized without any CGI, while also confirming the film includes a time jump:

“It’s just a great character part, and I didn’t have to do any CGI. I didn’t have to do any green screen. I only transform, physically, in the final moments of the movie, so it’s just a classic villain role. It had a really interesting, complex psychology and personal history to draw on, and the movie has a time jump in it, so the character changes a lot from the way he is in the beginning of the film.”

The Foreigner has never undergone a physical transformation in the comics, so if rumors are true and this is the character Alessandro Nivola is playing, Kraven the Hunter may be taking the villain in a new direction.

Given Nivola’s comments about not having to “do any CGI,” it is also unclear whether the physical transformation he mentions is an exception, or whether this effect achieved practically.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is leading the cast of Kraven the Hunter and is joined by Russell Crowe, Fred Hechinger, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, and Levi Miller. The film is being directed by J.C. Chandor with a script by Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, and Richard Wenk. Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film.

Kraven the Hunter is currently scheduled to hit theaters on January 13, 2023. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the upcoming Aaron Taylor-Johnson film and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.

Source: THR