Attempts to get remakes of The Crow off the ground have been made for longer than we can remember, with most ultimately shelved. Even Aquaman star Jason Momoa came close to playing Eric Draven once upon a time!
Now, though, Ghost in the Shell director Rupert Sanders has been tapped to helm a reboot which will see Bill Skarsgård take on the title role. Danny Huston and FKA Twigs are thought to also be part of the project which was recently acquired by Lionsgate in an eight-figure deal.
Talking to Deadline, Pressman Film CEO and The Crow producer Sam Pressman shared his excitement for the world to see what they have planned for the property.
"The Crow has been a very central and integral part of our company and I’m really proud of the progress and the work that has been done," he tells the trade. "I think the movie is just going to blow people away."
"Our partners want to approach it in a very 360 way, whether it be video games, an animated series or a universe, but it’s got this cosmic legacy that can expand beyond a singular story."
"We’re finally at a point where we can really explore those other avenues because it’s such a unique property in that it is not a studio film, it’s not a Marvel film - it’s kind of an anti-Marvel film," Pressman continues. "I have the highest hopes for that and I really love what Molly Hassell has done in pushing it up the hill and Rupert Sanders is such a visionary."
Whether it's in a positive or negative light, it's rarely a good idea to compare a movie like this to Marvel. Despite not being said with malice, words like these often come back to haunt those who made them. Suicide Squad director David Ayer, for example, has never quite managed to shake off his "F*ck Marvel!" declaration at the movie's premiere.
The Crow franchise kicked off with the 1994 release of the movie starring Brandon Lee who, tragically, was killed in an accidental on-set shooting. Three sequels followed, though none of them were very good and they've mostly been forgotten in the years since.
This remake is based on the 1989 limited comic book series of the same name by James O'Barr. It revolves around Eric Draven, a musician who is resurrected from the dead to seek vengeance against the gang that murdered him and his fiancée, all the while being pursued by a sympathetic police officer.