Thirty years ago, the Gothic cult classic of the 90s The Crow made its highly anticipated debut after the production of the supernatural film was marred by a heartbreaking tragedy. Lead actor Brandon Lee’s life ended in devastating fashion when he was fatally wounded by a prop weapon while filming a scene in the comic book adaptation, leaving behind devastated loved ones and a promising career that would never reach its full potential.

The shocking accident sparked a major discussion about safety and protocols on set, with the fateful event eerily repeated in 2021 when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot by a bullet on the set of the western. rust. Despite strong opposition from fans and those involved in the original film, a reboot of The Crow starring Bill Skarsgård will be released in cinemas on August 23rd. 2024and many are holding their breath to see what the new installment will offer and whether or not it will honor Lee’s legacy. Let’s take a look back at the history of The Crow and find out why lead actor Skarsgård is already expressing his own reservations about the film.

Who played the main role in the original film and what was it about?

Based on the comic series of the same name, the gothic superhero film from 1994 The Crow starring Brandon Lee as heavy metal guitarist Eric Draven, who is brutally murdered by a violent gang after his fiancée Shelly is physically assaulted and fatally injured in the brutal attack. On the anniversary of her devastating death, Draven is resurrected by a crow and becomes a supernatural avenger, hunting down the dangerous members responsible for the senseless crime and exacting bloody vengeance.. On his morbid quest for revenge, Draven must eliminate the gangster responsible, the unscrupulous Top Dollar.

Ghost Hunters Former actor Ernie Hudson played Sergeant Daryl Albrecht, who discovered Shelly after the attack and began investigating the mysterious vigilante’s gruesome actions, while character actor Michael Wincott took on the role of the villain Top Dollar. Lee beat out fellow actors River Phoenix and Christian Slater for the role of Eric Draven, winning The Crow Comic creator James O’Barr with his impressive audition after the author feared that Lee would make the film adaptation seem like a run-of-the-mill kung fu film. O’Barr was overwhelmed by what the young artist brought to the stage and said looking back on the audition:

“A lot of people don’t realise how hard he worked – he did all the fight choreography and almost all the stunts himself, the only thing he didn’t do was fall off buildings because he wasn’t allowed to. And that’s without even mentioning his performance – he brought the right mix of humour, pain and menace to the role.”

The tragic death of Brandon Lee

The son of legendary martial artist and film icon Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee steadily established himself as an up-and-coming action superstarespecially in Hong Kong film Legacy of anger, Showdown in Little Tokyo, And rapid fire, With each role he took on, he demonstrated both his on-screen charisma and his impressive physical prowess. When he was auditioned for the role of Eric Draven in The CrowHe immediately jumped into the role and lost 20 pounds in preparation, while also I was personally involved in the choreography of the action sequences and pushed for the elimination of a subplot that involved Asian stereotypes..

On the evening of March 30, 1993, after having completed almost all of his work for The Crow, Lee was fatally injured during a scene in which he was shot by Michael Massee’s character Funboy. The Magnum .44 used during the on-screen confrontation between Lee and Massee contained a blank cartridge and the lead tip somehow got stuck in the barrel, so when fired it struck the actor in the stomach and fatally wounded him. Lee was rushed to hospital where he underwent six hours of surgery before being sadly pronounced dead on March 31, 1993; the gifted actor was only 28 years old.

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The unfathomable tragedy was followed by a two-month investigation into the catastrophic event, which resulted in the shooting being ruled an accident, and the studio and producers were ultimately faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to stop filming. The Crow or give up. The cast and crew ultimately decided to honor Lee by completing the film, using a stand-in and a digital facial replacement to complete the project. The Crow was dedicated to Lee and his fiancée Eliza Hutton, received critical acclaim upon its release, grossed $94 million, and became a recognized cult classic.

Polarizing reactions to the restart

Rumors about a possible remake or reboot of The Crow had been in the works since 2008 before the project fell into development hell, with actors Luke Evans, Bradley Cooper, Jason Momoa and Jack Huston all starring as Eric Draven at various stages of development. James O’Barr had previously been against the idea of ​​a reboot before being brought in as a consultant for a potential adaptation in 2014. The writer had expressed his opinion on potential remakes, stating:

“I don’t have great expectations. The reality is that no matter who you get to play the lead role, whether you hire Ridley Scott to direct and spend $200 million, you still won’t top what Brandon Lee and Alex Proyas did in that first $10 million movie.”

The director of the original film, Alex Proyas, has also made his disdain for every new adaptation and reboot clear.and revealed during a podcast appearance in 2019: “Personally, I’ve tried to suppress it every time I hear about it, not that I think I’ve been able to. It’s not just a film that can be remade. It’s a man’s legacy. And it should be treated with that level of respect.” Despite the constant backlash from those involved in the 1994 production, The Crow and despite justified skepticism from fans, development on the project resumed in 2020 and it was finally announced that Bill Skarsgård would play the lead role of Eric Draven, while Rupert Sanders would direct.

Sanders wanted to focus on creating a “dark romance” and highlight the themes of morality and grief from the comics, and They wanted to honor Lee by making Skarsgård’s interpretation of the character the “successor” to the late actor. The Nosferatu The star dove headfirst into the role, wanting to capture the essence of Eric Draven in his own unique way, although he apparently wasn’t thrilled with the creative direction the reboot was taking and wasn’t afraid to voice his reservations.

Bill Skarsgård even has his own reservations

Skarsgård had just finished work on the action comedy Boy kills world when he arrived immediately for production The crow, and the actor still had the extremely muscular and toned body, which he felt did not match the look of Eric Draven. Since then, he has expressed his complaints about Draven’s physical appearance, saying openly: “It was a strange feeling to be in top shape for Eric. I wanted him to be really skinny! He wasn’t a person who ever worked out. In a perfect world, he would have been much less fit in the first half of the movie.”

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Aside from issues with Draven’s image, Skarsgård is not too happy with the way the reboot ended, as the Chameleon actor clashed with Sanders and the studio over the ending. In an interview with Esquire magazine in 2024, Skarsgård was honest about his dissatisfaction with the final moments of the film, which he believes were altered by the filmmaker to prepare for a possible sequeland told the publication: “Personally, I preferred something more definitive.”

Although 2024 The Crow has been plagued by controversy and uncertainty (not only from fans, but also from the lead actor himself), only time will tell if the reboot will be a box office hit or a flop. Skarsgård will no doubt give the adaptation his all, as he has done with the many other colorful roles he has taken on, shining in unforgettable films such as It, The devil all the time, Barbarian, And John Wick: Chapter 4. Curious fans of the original cult classic will probably give the film a chance, and it will be exciting to see what The Crow has to offer when it finally makes its long-awaited premiere.

Regard The Crow in cinemas on August 23, 2024.