Bill Skarsgard’s ‘The Crow’ remake look slammed by fans: Brandon Lee is ‘turning in his grave’

Bill Skarsgard and Brandon Lee.
Bill Skarsgard gets slammed by fans for his look in "The Crow" remake.
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It’s a murder of social media insults.

The upcoming remake of “The Crow” has revealed the first look at Bill Skarsgård in the leading role — and the fan reception to the “It” star, 33, isn’t warm.

“#TheCrow shouldn’t have a remake in my opinion because no one can play Eric draven as good as Brandon lee like yeah no disrespect to Bill skarsgard because he was awesome as pennywise but the crow should be a memory for Brandon lee and left alone,” one fan declared on X, formerly Twitter.

Others mocked Skarsgård’s appearance in the first look photos, saying, “They casted The Crow reboot by asking pedestrians from Miami if they’d like to be in a movie,” and that Skarsgård was “hotter as Pennywise.”

Even more, another remarked: “Getting Jared Leto Joker vibes off this. Which is not good at all.”

Fans compared Bill Skarsgard’s look to Jared Leto’s Joker. ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
Fans compared Bill Skarsgard’s look to Jared Leto’s Joker. ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

“I love Bill but no,” another fan remarked. 

One person even called on everyone to “boycott” the movie, slamming it as a “shallow copy made for millennials.”

The original “The Crow” came out in 1994, starring Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a murdered musician resurrected from the dead to get vengeance against his killers.

Tragically, Lee — the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee — died at age 28 during filming, after he was fatally wounded by a prop gun.

Brandon Lee in “The Crow.” ©Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
Brandon Lee in “The Crow.” ©Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

Nobody was criminally charged, but his mom, Linda Lee Cadwell, sued the film’s producers, director Alex Proyas and J.B. Jones Inc., which supplied the blanks and ammunition for the movie.

Action star Dolph Lundgren, 66, commented that the 2021 shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin’s film “Rust,” in which Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a prop gun, reminded him of “The Crow” tragedy.

“Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous with The Crow,” director Rupert Sanders said in an interview with Vanity Fair on Wednesday. “I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again … His soul is very much alive in this film.”

“The Crow” has gotten sequels, such as 1996’s “The Crow: City of Angels,” 2000’s “The Crow: Salvation” and 2005’s “The Crow: Wicked Prayer,” but those films weren’t direct remakes.

Vincent Perez, who starred in “City of Angels,” didn’t play the same character, Eric Draven. Rather, he played a character named Ashe Corven. The other movies also focused on different characters.

But, Skarsgård will play Lee’s character, Eric Draven. At one point in the reboot’s development, Jason Momoa was attached to star.

Vincent Perez in “The Crow: City of Angels.” ©Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
Vincent Perez in “The Crow: City of Angels.” ©Dimension Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
Bill Skarsgård is no Brandon Lee, fans have decided. Getty Images for Acura
Bill Skarsgård is no Brandon Lee, fans have decided. Getty Images for Acura

Many fans pointed to Lee’s death as a reason why “The Crow” remake shouldn’t exist.

“I hope this remake tanks at the box office,” another critic wrote. “When did Hollywood get so lazy? Instead of hiring new writers and making new films they would rather ruin classics. This is so disrespectful to Brandon Lee and his legacy.”

“I feel like remaking a cult classic film that’s new enough (1994) that technical limitations don’t date it AND that the lead actor died filming is kind of tasteless,” one fan said.

Another person commented that no actors should make roles “untouchable” for someone else stepping into the part, “But any time I hear about reboots, I can’t stop thinking about Brandon Lee. How he was so obviously meant to own it, make it his like Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones.”

One angry fan said “there is no comparison” between Bill Skarsgård and Brandon Lee. Sara De Boer/startraksphoto.com
One angry fan said “there is no comparison” between Bill Skarsgård and Brandon Lee. Sara De Boer/startraksphoto.com

“This sums up gen Z…their Eric Draven is Bill Skarsblah…while mine had Brandon Lee. There is no comparison! Brandon is turning in his grave,” another fan bashed the remake.

Another person commented that Hollywood needs to be more selective about what movies it remakes, because “The Crow” is “a classic example of a movie that is somehow more than just a movie to people,” referring to Lee’s legacy.

“I figured out what else is bugging me about the crow remake… so far i don’t see any of the gentle sadness or melancholic humour that brandon lee brought to the character along with the intimidation he really was the greatest to ever do it,” another said.

“I’m not one to dismiss movies, shows or games until I’ve at least tried them, But there will forever be only one Eric Draven and that’s Brandon Lee,” one fan said. “I like Bill Skarsgard but I wish they’d leave #TheCrow alone , greatness doesn’t need to be remade.”

“I love Bill but no,” one fan declared. Dave Benett/WireImage
“I love Bill but no,” one fan declared. Dave Benett/WireImage
Fans didn’t embrace Bill Skarsgård’s “The Crow” remake. Getty Images
Fans didn’t embrace Bill Skarsgård’s “The Crow” remake. Getty Images

Even fans that were more open-minded weren’t enthusiastic. “I’ll give it a chance. Can’t go off of one pic,” one commenter noted. “But to me, the tragedy, depressingly so, of Brandon Lee inextricably ties him to The Crow in a way that I don’t think it should’ve ever been touched again. He also brought a sensuality and softness that’s, again, to me, irreplaceable.”

“The Crow” will hit theaters on June 7.