Following the worldwide success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sony Pictures is currently focused on its upcoming project, Morbius, which will release exclusively in theaters on April 1. After Dr. Michael Morbius makes his mark on the Sony-verse, the studio will then have its full attention directed to Kraven the Hunter, a movie following one of Spider-Man's most menacing foes.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who portrayed Pietro Maximoff in the MCU's Avengers: Age of Ultron, is set to be the lead actor as the titular character. The film is currently set for release sometime in January 2023, so not much is known about its content as production is in the early stages.
It was recently reported that actor Russell Crowe, who is also starring in Thor: Love and Thunder, will officially be joining the cast of Kraven as well, although the name and capacity of involvement for his character have yet to be revealed.
A new development has recently surfaced revealing that Crowe and Taylor-Johnson aren't the only actors to have been approached for their second role within the realm of Marvel, as a young X-Men cast member was previously offered a part in Kraven, too.
Kodi Smit-McPhee Denied Kraven's Chameleon Role
Reporter Jeff Sneider recently revealed via Twitter that actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, who played Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, was reportedly offered the role of Chameleon in Sony's Kraven the Hunter, but was unavailable to accept the part.
Chameleon, a villain who has the ability to change his appearance at will, is most commonly associated with Spider-Man as his first Marvel Comics appearance was in "The Amazing Spider-Man: Issue 1."
According to the report, Smit-McPhee was unable to commit to the film due to a "scheduling issue:"
"If you missed it in The Ankler yesterday, Oscar nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee was offered the role of Chameleon in Sony's Kraven the Hunter movie but I was told a scheduling issue left him unable to pursue it."
Still on the Hunt for Kraven's Chameleon
Past reports stated that Sony was looking for an actor in their thirties to portray Dmitri Smerdyakov aka Chameleon in Kraven the Hunter. It is worth noting that he is also the half-brother of Kraven, and since the film is rumored to focus heavily on family, having Chameleon as an antagonist will certainly create some family drama.
It seems as though Sony likes the idea of casting actors that have already had experience in the comic-book-movie world. Aside from Russell Crowe and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Morbius' lead star Jared Leto also fits the same bill as he previously portrayed the Joker in the 2016's Suicide Squad.
There have been no further rumors or reports about who may take up the mantle of Chameleon, but seeing how the Spider-Man villain will play a major role in the film, it is safe to assume that the public will know sooner rather than later who the shapeshifter will be.
