Christopher Abbot to play The Foreigner in Spider-Man spin-off Kraven the Hunter

Christopher Abbott has joined the cast of Marvel's Kraven the Hunter, a new Spider-Man spin-off coming from Sony Pictures.

According to Deadline, Abbott is set to play The Foreigner, a master assassin and known comic book adversary of Spider-Man. The news comes just after the recent casting of BAFTa-nominated Ariana DeBose as potion-wielding witch Calypso and The Many Saints of New York star Alessandro Nivola as an unknown villain. The White Lotus's Fred Hechinger is set to play Kraven's brother, Chameleon.

Kraven the Hunter, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular role, follows the dangerous big-game hunter who is known in the comic book world as one of Spider-Man's most notorious adversaries. The character made his first appearance in the 15th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1964 and would go on to co-found the Sinister Six, a collective of supervillains that includes Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Sandman, Electro, and Mysterio, all of whom have prior appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Abbott is best known for his starring role as Capt. John Yossarian in the Hulu original Catch-22, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in Limited Series. The actor is set to play a supporting role in the upcoming drama Poor Things, which stars Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. Abbott was also recently cast in the Apple TV+ anthology series The Crowded Room, which will star Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, Tom Holland, and Emmy Rossum.

Kraven the Hunter hits theaters on January 13, 2023. For more upcoming superhero flicks, check out our guide to everything coming up in Marvel Phase 4.

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.