The long-gestating remake of THE CROW has seen many creative teams come and go, including the likes of Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, and James McAvoy for the lead role and filmmakers Stephen Norrington, Nick Cave, and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo vying for the director’s chair. Now, original producer Ed Pressman has F. Javier Gutierrez (BEFORE THE FALL) lined up direct with a script from Cliff Dorfman (WARRIOR). The problem? They still don’t have their Eric Draven, a role defined onscreen by the late Brandon Lee.
However, a name has now entered the running that gets me excited about the prospects of seeing this property on the big screen again; Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston. Here’s the scoop, according to The Wrap:
Hiddleston recently had dinner with producers and sent them a makeup test that he did on his own in London. He will undergo a proper makeup test in the coming days, as the character’s appearance is important to fans of the franchise, who should be delighted with the casting of a major member of the Marvel universe.
Apparently, “Hiddleston appealed to producers who were enamored with his ability to project both a light and dark side,” according to The Wrap’s source, which actually makes a lot of sense. Hiddleston has owned his role as Loki, showing a relative ease in playing the conniving god, who can play it cool or vicious at the turn of a dime.
For many movie fans, myself included, 1994’s THE CROW is the quintessential adaptation of the famous graphic novel by James O’Barr. Director Alex Proyas created a dark, violent, gothic fairy tale that was carried by its star, Brandon Lee, who was killed during the production. It was a tragic loss of one of the most promising up-and-coming actors of that era, compounded by the film’s themes of life and death. For many, it’s an irreplaceable film and rightly so. The many sequels that followed were so far below par that they don’t even register as anything but fodder.
Bringing Hiddleston onboard would take the project from blasphemy to excitement, as the British actor has more than demonstrated his ability to play a complex character like Eric Draven, who borders on madness in his vengeful endeavor as a spirit returned from the grave to kill his killers. The reboot would be focusing on O’Barr’s original story, likely with some updated deviations. Although nothing could ever replace Lee’s film, I’d be more than willing to give a reboot a fair shake if the producers cast someone like Hiddleston for the role. Given the right direction and production design, I think he could easily pull in a performance with the same kind of maniacal ferocity not seen since Heath Ledger‘s Joker.
Fingers crossed for this one. Although I fully understand if some folks are vehemently against a reboot, I think this is well worth consideration.
Production is currently slated to begin this fall. More as this develops.