Sinners’ director, Ryan Coogler, has revealed that he once wanted Spider-Man villain Kraven the Hunter to appear in Black Panther. Still, the idea was ultimately shut down due to rights issues with Sony Pictures.
The director explained that when Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger and Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue were locked in as the film’s antagonists, he had also hoped to add Kraven as a major threat for Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa. However, the plan was abandoned after Sony Pictures, which controls the Spider-Man film rights, declined the request while developing its own project centered on the character.
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Coogler said, “When I took that job, Joe Robert Cole, who’s my co-writer on both Panthers, had been working with Marvel and they had a line, so when I showed up, it was like, ‘Hey, we have our villains. Our villains are Klaue and Erik Killmonger.’ That had been decided upon.
“The outline of villains was Klaw and Killmonger, but they weren’t sure. They weren’t sure. Klaue felt slightly modular to them, and obviously, it was the great Andy Serkis, so I’m hyped to work with him … I’m a big Spider-Man fan, especially Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Kraven is in that. He’s also great in the books.
“I was like, ‘Yo, can I have Kraven in the movie?’ They were like, ‘We don’t think so, but let us check.’ So, they hit Sony, and Sony was like, ‘Absolutely not.’ They came back to me like, ‘Yo, we can’t do it.’ So, I was like, ‘Okay.’”
Black Panther follows T’Challa as he returns to Wakanda after his father’s death to claim the throne and assume his role as king. When a powerful outsider challenges his rule, T’Challa is forced to confront his nation’s past and determine what kind of leader and hero he will become.
Following the release of Black Panther Wakanda Forever, which saw Letitia Wright’s Shuri take up the mantle after Boseman’s death from colon cancer in 2020, Coogler confirmed he was actively working on a third installment.
Speaking during the Sinners panel at Deadline Contenders Film Los Angeles, he said, “If it was anybody but you, I would say, ‘I can neither confirm or deny.’ But we’re working on it hard. So it’s next. Yes, it’s the next movie.”
Coogler also confirmed he was writing a role specifically for Denzel Washington in the upcoming film. Speaking on the 7pm in Brooklyn podcast, Coogler said, “Denzel is family at this point. I’ve been trying to work with him since day one.
“I think he’s the greatest living actor, and in terms of what he means to our culture, forget about it. I’ve been talking to him about this for a long time.”
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
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