"The Crow" Remake Underway Down Under

"The Crow" Remake Underway Down Under

Stephen Norrington has signed on to write and direct a reinvention of "The Crow," based on the comic created by James O’Barr.

By ComicBookMovie - Dec 15, 2008 02:12 PM EST
Filed Under: The Crow
Source: LA Times

This from the LA Times...

As 'The Crow' flies: The director that drove Sean Connery to retirement and ensured that Alan Moore would never give Hollywood another chance wants to remake "The Crow." Reporter Michael Fleming has the announcement story in the trades: "Stephen Norrington has signed on to write and direct a reinvention of "The Crow," based on the comic created by James O’Barr. Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media is negotiating with producer Ed Pressman to acquire the film franchise and finance the film. Pressman produced the 1994 Alex Proyas-directed screen transfer, in which rock musician Eric Draven is murdered trying to rescue his girlfriend from thugs, and returns from the dead one year later to exact vengeance. Though the original became a gothic-style hit that grossed nearly $100 million worldwide, it is primarily remembered for a tragic accident in which star Brandon Lee was killed during filming. For Norrington, the "Crow" deal marks the end of a long screen sabbatical. After making his breakthrough with the Marvel Comics hero "Blade," Norrington took on a big-budget comic transfer with "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Neither the director nor his star, Sean Connery, has made a film since. Norrington said he felt demoralized by that experience, and the accomplished sculptor spent the next five years writing and working on his art. He made a deal to direct "Clash of the Titans" for Warner Bros., but left the project, he said, because he was "unable to excite Warner Bros. with my take, or influence the screenplay to any comfortable extent...." "Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style," Norrington told Daily Variety."

CANDYMAN And THE CROW Actor Tony Todd Has Passed Away At The Age Of 69
Related:

CANDYMAN And THE CROW Actor Tony Todd Has Passed Away At The Age Of 69

THE CROW Is Now Available On Home Video And We're Celebrating With A Giveaway
Recommended For You:

THE CROW Is Now Available On Home Video And We're Celebrating With A Giveaway

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 12/15/2008, 2:17 PM
oh god, a remake?? if he has to resurect the character at least write a new story, the bramdon lee movie is a classic imo..and the only good movie made about the crow
peterparker420
peterparker420 - 12/15/2008, 2:25 PM
please do not let this happen!!!
no one can replace brandon lee...no one
and hey.. i love remakes but not this one
this one was to good..please dont mess with a good movie..alot of people will be very unhappy with this movie anouncment!!
but let's wait until a trailer comes out
to see how it's going to look before we burn this to the ground.
ecksmanfan
ecksmanfan - 12/15/2008, 2:33 PM
Please don't do this! The Crow is a classic film and we all know how these type of remakes end up. Can't they just leave these things alone?!?
ComicMans1234
ComicMans1234 - 12/15/2008, 2:44 PM
oh no...is all i have to say,
crappybumbum
crappybumbum - 12/15/2008, 2:47 PM
No I think it's gonna suck already lol that sucks. The original one was an awesome film and will be the only good Crow movie...lol "documentary-style" wtf? haha it's not gonna work...
IonParallax
IonParallax - 12/15/2008, 2:52 PM
Oh boy...So the guy who has done a BANG-UP job so far with adaptations, is going to "reinvent" something that is now a CLASSIC and one of the best adaptations to make it to the big screen...Seriously, I believe this is an extremely baaaaaad move. Yea, real bad.
KingWill
KingWill - 12/15/2008, 3:10 PM
I have to say no as well. Leave it be in respects to Brandon Lee. Like seriously. I will not stand for a remake of this movie. It was a classic. At the time, I liked it because he reminded me of sting(Wcw) but I was a young child then. Now, I see the movie as a true classic and don't f-in mess with the classic man!
TheUnknown
TheUnknown - 12/15/2008, 3:13 PM
Aren't the sequels like remakes of sort? They are not direct sequels or anything like that, just another similr story. The first had a great story, but the others that follow tried to change it from the first.
d3vine
d3vine - 12/15/2008, 3:32 PM
NO [frick] THAT NO

Hearing this is like finding out your fater wears high heels...heart breaking
Spock
Spock - 12/15/2008, 3:37 PM
You now i think it is getting a little redundant of all of theses remakes. Somethings should be left alone. And messing with the Lee's isn't cool either.
GUNSMITH
GUNSMITH - 12/15/2008, 5:55 PM
THE CROW IS A CULT CLASSIC...WE DIDNT THINK THE JOKER COULD BE BETTER BUT ALONG CAME HEATH
DrFever
DrFever - 12/15/2008, 6:14 PM
One news report said this guy was still trying "get the rights" to even make it. This isn't news until something more comes of it.

Also...The Crow has one of the single best lines in movies.

"I feel like a little worm on a big F---ing hook"




richunkleskeletun
richunkleskeletun - 12/15/2008, 7:21 PM
Can't movie people leave anything alone? Clearly the guy can't adapt comics to the big screen successfully. Blade was a fluke in my opinion. I still don't think it was that good but I suppose I can't argue with results. But still, LOEG should undo any good Norrington ever accidentally did. Some things you just can't come back from. Or as that one guy Brandon Lee kills in the movie said: "There ain't no coming back..." Take that guy's advice. Maybe in the right hands a remake would fly (no pun intended) but this guy is poison. Give it to someone deserving! Why do shitty directors always get to make the movies about the things I want to watch??? Joel Schumacher? McG? Brett Ratner? JESUS!!!!
loganoneil
loganoneil - 12/15/2008, 7:23 PM
This just re-enforces my opinion that Hollywood has run out of original ideas! The original 'Crow' was a masterpiece and a fitting and loving tribute to its fallen star, Brandon Lee. To 'reboot' it would be a slap in the face to the graphic novel and an insult to Mr. Lee's memory. Why the powers that be feel they needed to make a ANOTHER is beyond me. They should have left the original a 'stand-alone' - it is PERFECT (like the original 'Highlander' or 'The Matrix')! And you know what they say about art... "Don't @#$! with perfection!!!"
bladeshad
bladeshad - 12/15/2008, 10:03 PM
for the love of god and all that is holy NOOOOO! why butcher it. there is no making it better then it was. look at "the day the earth stood still" it's not better now that they made it again!!!

it was perfect just the way it was.

now this??? this is proof god wants nothing to do with hollywood
mezlabor
mezlabor - 12/15/2008, 11:27 PM
This idea is as bad as the enter the dragon remake...
Brozilla
Brozilla - 12/16/2008, 2:23 AM
[frick] THAT!!!!!! I will shit bricks if this is to happen. That movie will always be one of my favorite movies and if someone comes along and does this I will boycott every damn site and whatever else I have to so that it doesn't happen! Whos with me?
BrownOne
BrownOne - 12/16/2008, 3:34 AM
In my opinion, Tim Burton would do justice to this comics' cinematic re-interpretation. The main character is Gothic, mysterious and slightly off-the-norm mentally. I've seen the previous movie and my take is Tim would have done a better job, visually and story-wise. My image of the Crow is a variation of Edward Scissorhands without the scissors.
richunkleskeletun
richunkleskeletun - 12/16/2008, 6:07 AM
Tim Burton would have made a good Crow movie like 10 years ago. If he was involved now it would just suck like the rest of his recent body of work. Let's see....If I were Tim Burton and I made the new Crow movie...Hmmm...okay Johnny Depp would play the Crow because no one will watch a movie I made without him. Also Helena Bonham Carter would play the love interest...Oh why don't I just re-use the cast from every movie I've ever made? Brilliant!!! Yeah sorry, Burton has lost his edge. Plus The Crow lacks that comedic quality Tim Burton used in his best "gothic" type movies. Truthfully I don't think there is a perfect director for this kind of movie right now. I would pick aspects of multiple directors, but I can't think of just one that would do it justice. Is that box office poison I smell?
Shaman
Shaman - 12/16/2008, 9:50 AM
NEWS ANCHOR
Thank you, Minister, for joining us.

HOLLYWOOD MINISTER OF MOVIES
Thanks for having me, buddy.

NEWS ANCHOR
Minister, fans all over America are
concerned about your upcoming remake of the crow.
Your thoughts?

HOLLYWOOD MINISTER OF MOVIES
Well, the film is not made yet, and it's not
intended for the original movie's fans-

FAN'S MOTHER
Oh but OF COURSE the fans are going to
see it!!

HOLLYWOOD MINISTER OF MOVIES
Uh, can I finish? Can I finish? ...The
fact is that we movie makers are quite
surprised by your outrage-

FAN'S MOTHER
YOU JUST DON'T CARE!

HOLLYWOOD MINISTER OF MOVIES
Can I finish? Hello? Can I finish? ...The
United States has graphic images of
remakes at the box office all the time, what
is that one movie? TDK? And Incredible HULK?
We can't believe that a remake with some
"realism" and a documentary feel would
piss you off so much.

FAN'S MOTHER
BECAUSE IT'S EVIL!!

HOLLYWOOD MINISTER OF MOVIES
Can I finish? Please? Can I finish? ...
... Uh... Okay, I'm finished.

SHAMAN...
Well for my take, i don't really see the need for a "remake" of sorts because i LOVE Brandon's original take but if someone can make amends for all the crappy "crow" sequels (yes, city of angels was a "real" sequel with Sarah being all grown up), i FIRMLY believe that Norrington has the right "vision" and "feel" to make it great! LEAGUE wasn't badly "filmed". The script sucked!!! Same thing with X-3, Spider-man3 and Superman Returns. Yes the director "okayed" the script however he didn't write it. He made it look decent on screen even though it sucked.

And BLADE was no fluke. You can't make a movie look that good by mistake, it takes vision, percistance and talent to do it as he did. I love Del Torro but Norington's version was the best. It was the only one of the three that had a bit of "dark realism" to it which made us connect a lot more with that realm. The other two were to "cartoonish" even though the second was very very good. Here's the difference between a good director and a bad one. Take a bad script and still make it look decent(Norrington-LEAGUE)or take a winning recepy and make it look like complete and utter shit(Goyer-BLADE Trinity). I think the title of the article got you guys steamed up for nothing. If Connery didn't want to leave us with a bang in another movie, it's his own damn business and doing. Let's not blame the guy pointing the camera at him. Not all his performances were "the Rock" material.

The original Crow was one of the best adaptations ever made. It's not to say that someone with Norrington's talent can't take the story and make it into a different image so it looks nothing like the original making it just another chapter in Eric Draven's life. Hopefully the plot will have to do with Sarah getting butchered and left for dead fighting for her life in the hospital, making Draven come back to avenge her, not knowing if she'll make it or not. And after avenging her, the movie could end with Draven being Sarah's "angel of death", taking her back with him to see Shelly on the other side. Tragic, but isn't it the undying point to this character? And if Norrington brings with him the vision of a "realistic" nightlife, city environment as he did in BLADE, with concrete character development that will make us connect to the storyline even more than what we did in the original, i say give him a chance. He has "proven" that he CAN do not only the character justice but the very atmosphere around it. Honestly, before getting angry at me here, you can't really expect it to be worse than the shitty sequels that were made(including the idiotic show: stairway to heaven)!
richunkleskeletun
richunkleskeletun - 12/16/2008, 6:07 PM
What I meant by fluke was that out of a handful of shitty movies, Norrington made one good film. I don't think any of the Blade movies were very good, but again, I can't argue with box office results. I don't care about how good a director can make a movie look. A director should be doing that anyway. That's his job. If the movie sucks then it sucks. You can't polish a turd. If everything doesn't gel then the movie isn't as good as it could be. Here's a novel idea: If the script sucks don't "okay" it!!!. The REAL difference between a good director and a bad one is that a good director won't attach himself to movies that have bad scripts/writers/ et al. A bad one will make a movie anyway. Just beacsue a film looks nice doesn't make Norrington a good director. Sure he's done more than others may have been able to do given what he had to work with, but again, the end result is crap. All I'm concerned with is end results. If the end result is lacking, then the movie suffers and the director is the boss so he is responsible. Just like with any other job, if an employee messes up, the boss catches the flak. It may not be the bosses fault, but he's the boss so he is responsible for his employees. So if everything else is good with the re-make, then Norrington has a shot at making a decent film maybe. I don't want to bank on maybes. I want a good movie made by people i trust to make good movies. If they can't provide that then they should just leave well enough alone. Maybe come up with something new rather than remaking (and possibly tainting) films that are already good.
Shaman
Shaman - 12/16/2008, 7:30 PM
Very good point! So he better make damn sure he has an award winning script in his hands if he is going to "reboot" this cult classic or else he souldn't bother making it. But since he did a terrific job with BLADE, and since i see both realms as "familiar" (hint hint), i think he is right for the job. But hopefully, he'll hear us through the branches somehow and decide to leave this masterpiece alone, and concentrate on a great sequel, something we were never rightfully graced with.
thefirstboyscout
thefirstboyscout - 12/16/2008, 8:06 PM
Ok I didn't even bother reading any of ya'lls comments and I'm not going to. All I going to say about this is, "THEY WILL [frick] OVER BRANDON LEE'S MEMORY" if they remake this movie. I went opening night with all my buddies to see this [frick]ing awesome movie and no matter who does it they will [frick] it over.
GusGalaxy
GusGalaxy - 12/17/2008, 4:42 AM
to remake the crow is simply asking for some bad karma there, you know? make another sequel, no matter how bad the story lines became, the original will always be the first and original story in the series, no matter what..
WeaponX
WeaponX - 12/17/2008, 6:18 AM
The Crow is a stand alone film. The comics were a one shot story line. Given that, it's not a sequel type of franchise. Which has been proven time and again with the three previous sad attempts.

So if they were going to re-introduce it, a reboot is the only way to go. Is this guy right for it? Who knows.

But a solid cast and solid script that's maybe something much closer to the comic's story line then it could be enjoyable. Actually have Eric and Shelly's car break down, Eric being shot and paralyzed as he watches his girl get raped. Have Eric dwell in their old home showing his grief driving him into self mutilation and loathing. Have the crow act not only as his guide but actually communicates to Eric chastising him for dwelling on Shelly's death and reminding him of the work they need to do. Stuff like that that wasn't in "The Crow" movie.

I also don't see how this will ruin Brandon Lee's work or his memory. That's a ridiculous statement to make. Mostly because to the family and friends, the people who actually knew Brandon Lee, their memories of him expand far beyond a single movie role and to his real fans it expands far beyond a single movie. Get real.

Brandon Lee was kick ass in that movie, hell, he made "The Crow" the cult success that it is. It's been a cult classic for over 10 years and it will continue to have its place there. The success and tragedy involved with "The Crow" didn't stop anyone from doing "City of Angels", "Salvation" or "Wicked Prayer". Not to mention the TV series "The Crow:Stairway to Heaven". None of those took anything away from Brandon's Crow movie.

Neither shall this attempt. Norrington's vision for the film could very well suck ass. Then it'll just go on the pile of other failed attempts. No harm, no foul. It's not like there already hasn't been a successful movie made of it to fall back on.
Shaman
Shaman - 12/17/2008, 8:00 AM
I like your point of view Weapon X, to think that the "character" has to die with Brandon is not what i think HE would like. And his performance was STELLAR, it will never be forgotten. The best example for that would of course be "the joker" which was brilliantly portrayed be Heath Ledger however it will never eclipse Nicholson's own performance which was monumental. Both of them can be enjoyed, no harm, no foul as WeaponX stated. And i think that Norrington has PROVEN with Blade to be able to make a great Crow addition. "League" wasn't at all the same type of movie as Blade was. Blade is alot more like the crow in so many ways. Someone might say that Moore's work was out of Norrington's "League" so to speak, but he is ideal for the Crow. I say give him a shot! What CAN we loose?
Ant4190
Ant4190 - 12/17/2008, 8:15 AM
The crow doesn't need to be redone, as i've said for ALL the other atempts.now that comiicbookmovies are actauly maintstream and high budget, i'm sure we'd love to have had brandon lee around now and the posisbilities we have with moviemaking today but really, of all directors...why him. If this happens it shuld be done right(if possible) ...is this really his plan for a comeback? i just hope norrington shuts me up about this and i enjoy this movie, but to hear such a classic is gonna be redone by the director known for royally [frick]ing a comic adaptaion isn't exactly easy on the ears.
running
running - 12/17/2008, 10:07 AM
[frick] THIS SHIT

[frick] THE GUY THAT SCREWED UP THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN

JUST ... [frick]
Jetsaholic
Jetsaholic - 12/17/2008, 1:23 PM
This is not good. Not good at all...
Aiiwolf
Aiiwolf - 12/18/2008, 4:55 PM
NO REMAKE ON "THE CROW"....BRANDON LEE will live on forever. Amen.

....i heard Fank Miller and Jason Statham wanted to do a Daredevil 2? lol...I find that to be cool and funny. Since Frank Miller is the perfect director for a movie like Daredevil. lol....The creator of Elektra! Directors her lover's story...flawless!
sketchingdreams
sketchingdreams - 12/24/2008, 2:46 PM
My GOD. The Crow is my favorite movie of all time. Remake is like throwing garbage on the key filmmakers and Brandon...because it seriously is one movie that should not be re-done. WHAT about it needs to even be redone? It is perfect as it is, even with its flaws. Stunning in so many ways. I am SO PISSSSSSSEDD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
lara99
lara99 - 12/25/2008, 8:13 AM
Hi everyone I truely want you to know that i totally understand how you feel about "no remake". I was one of the firt Lara Croft fans who not only made my own outfit by hand over the years and perfected playstation Lara right down to bending my limbs unnaturally to get photo's of myself not looking human but animated..and even ratioed the perfect size of everything and colours and did about 5 shoots with different photographers and didnt have a computer back then or a printer.. BUT i did it~! Angelina came along and that was that...but I met Stuart Townsend and didnt know who he was and made a site for him transfering my entire Lara Project for just him~!! as the years went by I was proud of him and still am..he is a good actor and has not finished acting... he was a wonderful vampire and at first.. i got alot of Brandon Lee comments right the start.. if a movie gets under way and if he does do it..all we can hope for is the Direction is good and the heart is in the right place...as when Lara Croft was made.. i was furious.. and i also personally experienced Queen Of The Damned being made and the depressed Goths who were upset that an entire book was missing and characters had the wrong colour hair and so on.. I am 100% sure about Stuart regarding the CROW. and I totally understand anyone worrying about this..The Direction will be the thing..be glad it is Stuart..he has the vibe for this better than anyone.. even in real life he has a vibe that is magnetic.. I had to share this with you as I was more sad than anyone with Lara being ruined..I spent years on her...I even trained myself with a lot she did in the games~! I am Stuart Townsend's webmaster for years now... what else can i say. I would love to see him do it but will treasure The Crow also. www.stuarttownsend.org
View Recorder