In 1994's
The Crow, Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) has his winged-companion with him, to guide him along his vengeful path. But originally, Eric had a second guide, which was the Skull Cowboy. The character, which did originate from the graphic novel, was played by Michael Berryman. An actor, who resembles Sloth from
Goonies, and is best known to me as one of the mutant bikers that cause trouble at Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt's (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) party in the hilarious 1985 comedy,
Weird Science. Wisely, Proyas cut all scenes with Skull Cowboy, deeming the character as redundant.
If you're a HUGE fan of
The Crow than this information certainly isn't new to you, but if you're like me this will be a fun little treat. I compiled some of the deleted scenes that feature Skull Cowboy. The most interesting of the scenes is the first video below. It takes place near the end of the film after Eric's quest is done. He heads to his grave, but when Sarah (Rochelle Davis) is abducted he decides to intervene. Which according to the Skull Cowboy is a big no no, and is warned that meddling with the affairs of the living will strip him of his immortality.
Also got a video below featuring storyboards with Skull Cowboy showing more scenes that involved him. Even came across close-up images of the costume and production stills that were posted on
propstore.com. That's Not All Folks! I also went digging for some concept art and came across
Peter Pound's conceptual illustrations and storyboards.
Photo Credit: propstore.com
"Storyboards. They are from some scenes, but contain (with no division so watch out) all of the Skull Cowboy's scenes. The SC standing at his grave. The SC standing in fron of the loft's window with Eric running berserker at him and, as he misses, jumps out the window and grabs the ledge to come back in as in the movie, to find he is gone. The SC coming to Eric, after saving Darla, as he plays the guitar on the roof telling him that he cannot assist the living or he'll bleed. And the SC standing in the church steps telling Eric to go back to the grave since he already killed his enemies and it is forbidden to assist the living (Sarah), as he denies, he says "choose and be damned", and desintegrates in a whirlwind of dust, but stripping Eric of his powers and warning him his chance to meet Shelly may be at jeopardy, thus explaining his vulnerability." - IMDB
Concept Art & Storyboards by Peter Pound
Catch the explosive, action-packed hit that thrilled moviegoers and dazzled critics everywhere! Brandon Lee (RAPID FIRE) plays Eric Draven, a young rock guitarist who, along with his fiancee, is brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. Exactly one year after his death, Eric returns -- watched over by a hypnotic crow -- to seek revenge, battling the evil crime lord and his band of urban thugs, who must answer for their crimes. Loaded with intense, nonstop action and a hot #1 hit soundtrack, THE CROW delivers exhilarating, fast-paced entertainment!
The Crow was directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, based on a graphic novel created by James O'Barr. The cast included: Brandon Lee as Eric Draven/The Crow, Rochelle Davis as Sarah, Ernie Hudson as Sgt. Albrecht, Michael Wincott as Top Dollar, Bai Ling as Myca, Sofia Shinas as Shelly Webster, Anna Levine as Darla, David Patrick Kelly as T-Bird, Angel David as Skank, Laurence Mason as Tin-Tin, Michael Massee as Funboy, Tony Todd as Grange and Jon Polito as Gideon. The film was released on May 13, 1994, and generated $144 million at the worlwide box office, against a budget of $23 million.