A reboot of The Crow has long been in the works but it has hit a series of roadblocks that seem to indicate the universe just doesn't want it to happen. Filmmaker Corin Hardy has been working on developing a fresh take on the property for years and even had Jason Momoa attached to lead the film. Things would ultimately fall apart again but Hardy believes that the reboot will happen someday.
During a chat with Comicbook.com, Hardy still seems optimistic about the prospects for the remake despite the project constantly getting stalled. Here is what Hardy had to say about the matter:
"It's a story that I'm just in love with and wedded towards and I put three and a half, four years of life into and love and blood and sweat and tears, and I have a ton of materials, so I don't know whether one day … I suppose I'm not really wanting to show them because I still believe there will be a Crow sometime, but we'll see. I do think both James O'Barr's original Crow graphic novel and the subsequent other iterations of that character in the comic books, there's no reason not to do a lot more with that character, the concept of The Crow, the mythology of The Crow, and the tone and what that represents is still unique within the world we're in at the moment."
The fact that Hardy is still in possession of the work he completed during all his years trying to develop the reboot is a great indication of his optimism that this project could happen one day. Hardy wouldn't be the first person to struggle to bring The Crow to the big screen. In fact, despite the first film being highly regarded, along with it comes the inherent tragedy that befell its leading man.
Created by James O'Barr, "The Crow" is a gothic superhero comic book series that follows a man named Eric, who is forced to watch his fiancee, Shelly, be murdered by a gang of thugs after their car breaks down. Eric is shot in the head following the incident and later dies in the hospital. Soon, he is resurrected by a crow and seeks vengeance on the murderers while also dealing with the loss of Shelly.
In 1994, The Crow was adapted into a live-action film starring Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee. Directed by Alex Proyas, the film follows a similar trajectory as the comic book with Lee playing Eric Draven, a musician who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his fiancee. Sadly, Brandon Lee was fatally wounded during filming after a mishap that involved dummy cartridges being exchanged for blank rounds, which featured a live power charge and primer, but no bullet. The scene called for Brandon to be shot confronting the thugs in the film who were killing his fiancee. The barrel was not properly checked for obstructions when it came time to load it with the blank rounds and since the bullet from the dummy round was already trapped in the barrel, this caused the .44 Magnum bullet to be fired out of the barrel with virtually the same force as if the gun had been loaded with a live round. Brandon Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03 PM EST on March 31, 1993. He was only 28 years old and the shooting was ultimately ruled a tragic accident.
Despite the tragedy of losing Brandon Lee, the actor had finished most of his scenes before his death and once all those involved dealt with their grief, it was decided to soldier on. The film was completed through script rewrites, a stunt double, and digital effects. The Crow was eventually released to good reviews, particularly for the film's tone and Brandon Lee's performance, and solid box office, grossing $94 million globally on a $23 million budget.
The franchise has spawned several sequels, including The Crow: City of Angels in 1996, The Crow: Salvation in 2000, and The Crow: Wicked Prayer in 2005. The sequels represent another example that bad luck seems to loom over the brand because each installment has been of diminishing quality and none of them come close to capturing the magic of the 1994 film. From there, the reboot has been trying to get off the ground for years but it has yet to be resurrected, and despite Corin Hardy's best efforts, it's a project that seems doomed to stay dormant. I don't think a reboot of The Crow is at all necessary. The 1994 film still holds up today but I do understand there is something intriguing about the lore that makes it one of the more interesting concepts to adapt.
Do YOU want a reboot of The Crow to happen?