We thought this fantastic saga was dead and buried: it will be resurrected but not in the way you imagine!

30 years after The Crow by Alex Proyas, the crow will return to the big screen. As we recently announced, James O’Barr’s graphic novel will once again be adapted for cinema.

Bill Skarsgard (It, John Wick 4) will take over the title role, played in 1994 by Brandon Lee, and will opposite FKA Twigs, Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila and Jordan Bolger.

Directed by Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell), the feature film is produced by Lionsgate and Pressman Films. Producer Sam Pressman, son of Edward R. Pressman, producer of Proyas’ film, spoke with the site Deadline and said that The Crow 2023 version would be different from recent superhero films.

The Crow will be an “anti-Marvel”

“We’re finally at a point where we have the opportunity to explore other avenues. The Crow is a unique work. It’s not a studio film, it’s not a Marvel film – it’s is even, in a way, an anti-Marvel.”

Quickly elevated to the rank of cult film, especially after the tragic death of Brandon Lee during the filming of the film, The Crow is a dark fantasy film with a gothic aesthetic in which the hero is thirsty for revenge. Alex Proyas did not attempt to tone down the violence of the comic book and if we are to believe the producer, the new version should be faithful to the spirit of the initial work.

Words that resonate with the recent statements of Nina DaCosta, the director of the film The Marvels, who affirms that “superhero film fatigue is real”.

Sam Pressman adds: “Rupert Sanders is a visionary (…). The Crow is a central part of our production company and I am truly proud of the progress made and the work accomplished.

I think the film will blow people away. Our partners want to approach it from 360°, whether it’s video games, an animated series or a whole other universe, but it can go beyond a singular story.”

Lionsgate

A whole new universe around The Crow

Beyond a simple film, Lionsgate could therefore launch an entire universe dedicated to The Crow. In the graphic novel, Eric Draven and his fiancée are attacked and killed by a gang after the couple’s car breaks down. Eric is resurrected by a crow and takes revenge on those who took his life and that of his sweetheart.

Alex Proyas’ film had 3 sequels: City of Angels with Vincent Perez (1997), Salvation (2000) carried by Eric Mabius and Kirsten Dunst and The Crow: Wicked Prayer with Edward Furlong and David Boreanaz.

The graphic novel by James O’Barr was also entitled to a television series broadcast in the late 1990s and carried by Mark Dacascos.

The film is expected to go into production when the strike ends.