Alessandro Nivola to play the villain in Spider-Man spin-off Kraven the Hunter

Alessandro Nivola has joined the cast of Marvel's Kraven the Hunter, a new Spider-Man spin-off forthcoming from Sony Pictures.

According to Deadline, The name of the villain has yet to be revealed, but Nivola will play Kraven's main adversary in the film. The actor joins a cast that includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the titular role, with The White Lotus star Fred Hechinger as Kraven's brother, Chameleon, and BAFTA-nominated Ariana Debose as Calypso, Kraven's lover.

The film centers on the dangerous big-game hunter who first appeared in the 15th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1964. Kraven would go on to join Doctor Octopus and co-found the Sinister Six, a collective of supervillains that includes Vulture, Sandman, Electro, and Mysterio, all of whom have made prior appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In 2021, Nivola starred as Dickie Moltisanti in The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark. This year, he stars alongside Alison Brie in Jeff Baena’s comedy Spin Me Round which will debut at SXSW on March 12. Nivola is also set to play the titular role of the Boston Strangler in a new crime drama also starring Keira Knightly.

He's also part of the star-studded ensemble that makes up David O. Russell's untitled period drama, which includes Taylor Swift, Zoe Saldana, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Robert DeNiro, Rami Malek, John David Washington, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Timothy Olyphant, and Anya Taylor-Joy.

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.