Cast This: The Crow

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

I think it's safe to say that THE CROW remake/reboot/reinvention has been in what the business refers to as "development hell" for a very long time. With the most recent news however, Relativity Studios attempt at capturing lightening in a bottle could actually be happening…sometime…eventually. It wasn't that long ago that the movie had a director in Corin Hardy (THE HALLOW) and Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) was even set to play the iconic character before scheduling conflicts got in the way. Here we are though, the movie that just won’t die is still in need of an Eric Draven, and I know you movie lovers can deliver some great casting options.

In case you're new to the legacy of THE CROW’s, firstly welcome and secondly what took you so long? THE CROW is based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book of the same name, and follows Eric Draven (played by Brandon Lee in the 1994 film adaptation) on his undead quest to avenge his and his fiancé’s brutal murders. It was both a critical and commercial success and has something of a cult following, in big part due to the accidental death of Lee on set. There have been three insufferable sequels: THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS, THE CROW: SALVATION and 2005’s THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER. There was even a TV spinoff based on the first movie called The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. Don’t watch it.

So clearly there are a lot of reasons people want this to work again. For me it's just hard to imagine someone else in this role, that’s how great of a performance Lee gave us. He surprised audiences with his mesmerizing and haunting portrayal of Draven much like Heath Ledger did with the Joker if you want to be so bold as to draw comparisons there. So the question now is who would be a good fit for this role?

Someone who has appeared on Cast This already is Kit Harington. The Game of Thrones star has that certain look and swagger to pull of this role. It would be great to see him break away from the epic roles like Thrones or POMPEII and do something more bold and wild. Taylor Kitsch is another actor that comes to mind for Draven; his last notable effort being a great performance in the otherwise dreadful second season of True Detective. Stepping into the role of The Crow would be a great turn for the star that seems destined to give more brooding roles as time goes on which could make for a convincing Eric Draven. My final choice would be Joseph Gordon-Levitt; the guy can do it all right? He’s been one of my favorite actors since I saw THE LOOKOUT in 2007 and has been nailing it for the most part in terms of roles he takes on ever since. He can do comedy and drama, he even sings and dances! As a gothic guitar playing avenger, I think he would be perfect.

Those are my choices however, so what about yours? Would you be going younger or older with your casting? FYI: Brandon Lee was 29 years old at the time and the character of Draven "dies" when he’s 28. What about changing up the role to someone of color with say the talented Anthony Mackie? While I still consider his performance in THE HURT LOCKER to be his finest, he’s a whole lot of fun to watch in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. There is also the tall imposing choice in Alexander Skarsgard; the former vampire sheriff of True Blood would make for a great broken-hearted and vengeful character. While Jared Leto is likely to divide audiences with his take on The Joker next year, but who says the man can't go method for another role? Even Robert Pattinson, the actor who is trying so hard to be taken seriously since finishing off the TWILIGHT saga is actually pretty great if you’ve seen him in COSMOPOLIS, THE ROVER, or MAPS TO THE STARS.

With so many great choices I can’t imagine this will be easy for any of you; so who would you like to see bring us their take on THE CROW?

RESULTS FROM CAST THIS: JAMES BOND – 1. Dan Stevens 2. Michael Fassbender 3. Henry Cavill