Oscar-nominated "West Side Story" star Ariana DeBose will join the "Kraven the Hunter" movie at Marvel and Sony Pictures.

She will play Calypso, a voodoo priestess who is the on-and-off lover of Kraven. The character first appeared in “Spider-Man” comics in the early 1980s as an adversary of Marvel’s teen web-slinger. In the comics, she has the power of mind control and a costume that barely covers her body.

Aaron Taylor Johnson will play Kraven who is a famed Spider-Man villain and Russian big-game hunter character in Marvel lore and the film is said to feature his family members as major characters.

J.C. Chandor, who previously tackled "All Is Lost" and "Triple Frontier", is directing "Kraven the Hunter". The film, which also stars Russell Crowe, will be released theatrically on Jan. 13, 2023.

Born into Russian aristocracy, Sergei Kravinoff a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter is an obsessive big-game hunter who was introduced as a Spider-Man villain in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #15 (1964), and created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. As seen in the original comics, Kravinoff began his career using the typical tools of the hunter but over time he developed a preference to take down large animals with his bare hands. After meeting a Voodoo witch doctor named Calypso, Kravinoff took a herbal potion that enhanced his physical powers and gives him the strength, speed and senses to match a jungle cat. The potion also extended his life keeping his health and vitality for years to come.

Source: Press Release