Give Me ‘The Crow’ or Give Me Death

Following nearly sixteen years of development, The Crow is finally ready to seek vengeance once again. Based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic-book series of the same name, the upcoming supernatural fantasy film was first announced back in 2008. Various actors were in talks to lead over the years, including Bradley Cooper, Jason Momoa, Tom Hiddleston, and Luke Evans. Now Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell) will direct the film, which will star Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs.

Skarsgård will play Eric Draven, a murdered man out to avenge his and his fiancée’s (Twigs) deaths. “A crow carries their soul to the land of the dead,” the narrator says in the first trailer for the film. “But sometimes something so bad happens that the soul cannot rest until you put the wrong things right.” The trailer also shows a grittier and bloodier direction for The Crow, with Danny Huston (Succession) as the main villain. It will premiere in theaters on August 23.

The original film (1994) was famously mired in tragedy. A prop-gun disaster fatally wounded lead actor Brandon Lee, the son of legendary action star Bruce Lee. Though Brandon had already filmed most of his scenes, the rest of the movie was recut and edited with stunt doubles and digital effects. The Crow later went on to become a cult classic and grossed $94 million at the box office on a $23 million budget. Three more Crow films were released, including two direct-to-video sequels.

Though the upcoming reimagining is technically the fifth film in the franchise, it marks the first time that the story of Eric Draven will be retold for a new audience. “I was a huge fan of the original film growing up as a kid and was so honored to take on the role of Eric Draven,” Skarsgård said in the official press release for the new trailer. “But really what drew me to it was what Rupert Sanders wanted to do with it. He wanted to completely reimagine the story and the character and tailor it toward a modern audience....I felt a responsibility to Eric’s story and endeavored to stay true to the spirit of the source material.”

Sanders hopes that the new film pays homage to Lee’s iconic role while forging a new direction for the influential series. “What drew me to this was the opportunity to make a dark romance, something that dealt with loss, grief, and the ethereal veil between life and death and reaching through that,” the director told Vanity Fair. “I grew up listening to Joy Division and the Cure, and this movie is a bit like a Cure song—the beauty of melancholy.”

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