MOVIE NEWS – The Sony Villain-verse has come to an end, but not in the way fans had hoped. The latest installment in the franchise, Kraven the Hunter, has further cemented the franchise’s reputation as one of the worst-received cinematic universes. Alessandro Nivola, who played Rhino, has spoken out about how perhaps too many decision-makers influenced the production.

The Sony Villain-verse — which includes films like Venom, Morbius, and Madame Web — has officially come to an end, albeit in a less than celebratory manner. The final film in the universe, Kraven the Hunter, has further tarnished the reputation of a franchise that has struggled with a lack of fan trust since the first trailers were released. The film, which starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven and Alessandro Nivola as Rhino, was met with harsh criticism from critics and audiences alike. Nivola admitted that he didn’t fully understand the reasons for the negative feedback surrounding the film.

“I haven’t read a lot of reviews, but my agents sent me the most important ones, and they’re some of the best feedback I’ve ever gotten,” Nivola told The Hollywood Reporter. While critics didn’t criticize Nivola’s performance, the character’s performance and the film as a whole received significant criticism.

“I don’t really care about what fans or critics think because it can become a black hole,” he continued. “I went through that with ‘The Many Saints of Newark,’ where they praised my performance but the film didn’t do well.”

The film was directed by J.C. It was directed by Chandor, who has written such works as Margin Call and A Most Violent Year. Chandor is a relative newcomer to the superhero genre, and Nivola was asked if the director’s voice was stifled by the studio system. “I don’t really know what happened behind the scenes,” he replied. However, he did admit that “there were probably too many cooks in the kitchen,” referring to the multiple interventions by studio executives.

What to expect from Sony’s Spider-Man universe?

The short answer: nothing. Kraven the Hunter concluded the Villain-verse, officially becoming one of the worst-received film franchises ever. Neither film has achieved a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes—the highest rating is held by Venom: Let There Be Carnage at 58%. Ironically, the franchise’s low point, 2024’s Madame Web, has become a pop culture phenomenon, with many calling it the “best bad superhero movie of all time.”

While the Spider-Man universe lives on, the villains seen in the standalone films are unlikely to ever return. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios is already working on Spider-Man 4, starring Tom Holland and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi). At the same time, Sony Animation is developing the long-awaited sequel to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which was originally scheduled for an early 2024 release but has been delayed indefinitely. According to the latest reports, the film has been completely rethought by the studio.

Source: MovieWeb