Those looking forward to the long-gestating reboot of The Crow will be delighted to hear that there’s finally some news to report on that front. According to Ed Pressman, who owns the rights to the property, The Crow reboot is alive and well, and fans can expect a director and cast members to be announced soon.
Created by James O’Barr, “The Crow” is a Gothic superhero comic book series that follows an undead rocker named Eric Draven. In the comic, Eric’s fiancee Shelly is assaulted and brutally murdered in front of him. Eric is then shot in the head and left for dead. After being resurrected by a crow, Eric uses his supernatural abilities to hunt and kill those responsible for his eternal pain.
According to Pressman, The Crow reboot will be a new take on the character and not a sequel to the original series of films.
“The Crow is a kind of anti-superhero, unique to the world of graphic novels,” Pressman told IndieWire. The fine folk at IndieWire then confirmed that Pressman and his partners expect to announce information about a director and casting shortly. Sadly, Brandon Lee (Eric Draven) was fatally wounded while filming The Crow after a mishap that involved dummy cartridges being exchanged for blank rounds. The rounds featured a live power charge and primer, but no bullet. The scene in question called for Brandon to be shot while confronting thugs in the film. The barrel of the gun 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 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.
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. Many have tried and failed to reboot the franchise since, with the most recent attempt casting Jason Momoa in the lead role. After being attached to the project for several years, director Corin Hardy and Momoa both walked away, citing creative differences with the producers.
What do you all think? Are you confident that The Crow reboot is happening? Is this something you want to see? Who would you cast as Eric Draven in the new film? Would it be better if they left Draven and Shelly to the afterlife and introduced a new protagonist? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.