Whenever a comic book movie makes a casting announcement, it does so at the risk of an enormous amount of fan backlash. So many hardcore comic book fans have their idea of what a character looks and sounds like that it can be hard to please everybody. Luckily, sometimes the actor has a way of proving their aptitude before the first trailer drops.
The ongoing efforts of Sony to make bank on their ill-advised Spider-Man spin-offs have been nothing less than a disaster. The released projects have suffered a variety of grim fates, but the upcoming films see a mixture of confusion and cautious optimism.
Set to be released in January of next year, the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) will be Kraven the Hunter. The iconic villain was introduced to Marvel Comics in 1964, in the 15th issue of the original Spider-Man comic. He's a gifted and renowned big-game hunter who uses a variety of tools and tricks to defeat gradually more powerful prey. After discovering Spider-Man's superhuman gifts, he decides that the Web-Slinger is the most dangerous game of all. His most famous story is Kraven's Last Hunt, in which he successfully defeats Spidey in combat and contends with the sense of contentment that comes with achievement. He follows a strange code of honor that has occasionally led him to act as something of an anti-hero over the years. That anti-hero direction will likely guide the upcoming film adaptation, recasting Kraven as an animal-themed warrior for the protection of the creatures he must hunt. This is unusual, but it makes sense when considering the respect he has for other predators. One of the few things known about the film is the actor in the title role, Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
There's a lot to be concerned about when it comes to this film adaptation, but the lead actor doesn't make the list. Though it seems like Sony can ruin anything it gets its hands on, there's good reason to suspect that Taylor-Johnson was an excellent choice for the role. His only previous role in a Marvel property was a very short-lived performance as Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron, for which he wasn't celebrated. Before that, he put in a solid performance in the title role of Matthew Vaughn's 2010 adaptation of Kick-Ass, and its 2013 sequel. Though Taylor-Johnson has experience in some comic book roles, his most recent big-screen performance should lend him even more credibility for the upcoming film.
Directed by up-and-coming action legend David Leitch, who made his name with the first John Wick, Deadpool 2, and Atomic Blonde, Bullet Train hit theaters on August 5th. It's doing well enough, at the time of writing. It out-earned its production budget within a week and change, but the reviews are middling. The film sold itself heavily on the star power of Brad Pitt, but it has a stellar ensemble cast. The plot, adapted from a 2010 Japanese novel, sees a reluctant assassin attempting to abscond with an important briefcase while conflicting with several other colorful professionals. There's a yakuza samurai type, a poison specialist, and half a dozen other hired killers with nouns instead of names. The central MacGuffin enters the scene in the possession of a pair of brothers, Tangerine and Lemon. Tangerine, the wittier and smoother of the two, is the role that Taylor-Johnson nails.
None of the killers, thieves, or other malcontents that occupy the titular Bullet Train are terribly three-dimensional as characters go, but they are all fun. Tangerine gets a look that would feel more at home in a Kingsman sequel and a comical brotherly bond with Brian Tyree Henry's Lemon. His line delivery is solid, easily handling the pseudo-Guy Ritchie snark with aplomb. Perhaps more impressive is his presence in action scenes. Taylor-Johnson's previous action roles either featured the CGI superpowers of Avengers or the deliberate comical inadequacy of Kick-Ass. Bullet Train allows Taylor-Johnson to play a peak human trained killer in much the same way he'll have to for Kraven. He leads one of the central action scenes in the trailer, along with another couple of tense engagements that prove his competency in hand-to-hand skirmishes.
As a skilled killer with a prominent fraternal relationship, Tangerine is an animal print wardrobe and an obsession with trophies away from being a serviceable Kraven. It's unclear exactly what tone the film will be going for, but Taylor-Johnson has demonstrated his effectiveness in tense action setpieces and more colorful comedic scenes. Sony has yet to show off more than a screenshot or two for the film, but of the myriad ways it could go wrong, the lead actor doesn't seem to be an issue. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has had an interesting career on the big screen, but with his role as Tangerine, he has laid fans' fears to rest and established himself as an excellent Kraven before the film's first teaser.