Is it just me or does it seem like the reboot of The Crow has been in the works for years now? Last year we finally got confirmation that F. Javier Gutierrez (Before The Fall) is directing and Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) will star in the leading role as Eric. In the 1994 Alex Proyas movie, creator of the original graphic novel James O’Barr was deeply involved in the look and tone and it looks like he’s back on board with the remake. However he is very hesitant to call it a remake.
In a recent interview that has popped up online O’Barr gives his thoughts on the casting of Luke Evans and how the studio are approaching the character a second time around: “We’re not remaking the movie, we’re readapting the book. My metaphor is that there is a Bela Lugosi ‘Dracula’ and there’s a Francis Ford Coppola ‘Dracula’. They use the same material, but you still got two entirely different films. This one’s going to be closer to ‘Taxi Driver’ or a John Woo film, and I think there’s room for both of them. Part of the appeal of ‘The Crow’ comics, after all, is that they can tell very different stories.”
When specifically asked about the character of Eric Draven and how different Evans might be to Brandon Lee, O’Barr said: “If you read the comic, Eric and Shelley never have their last names revealed…hopefully, this is one area the new movie being more faithful to the comic will come into play, and Eric won’t be going by Eric Draven in the new film. Luke Evans may play Eric, but Brandon Lee will forever be Eric Draven…Brandon Lee was a friend and I’d never do anything to hurt his legacy.”
O’Barr also added that he’d be involved in choosing the music for the movie’s soundtrack – which he also did for the 1994 adaptation – and revealed that he has seen Luke Evans in full Eric make-up, and guess what, he loves it: “I’ve seen him in the make-up, too…and he looks great. …I think the studio understands that if they want a ‘Crow’ franchise, they have to get it right. We’re hoping to begin production later this month, and start shooting in the spring.”
“We’re including some music I’d wanted to originally, but just couldn’t get the rights to…some actual Joy Division songs. Some vintage Cure songs. I’m still pretty active in the music industry, and there is a lot of neo-goth bands out there, that have that same sound, and I’ve talked to some of them about contributing, and they’re very excited about it.”
Personally I can’t wait to see what they do with The Crow and it’s always a good thing to have the admiration and cooperation from the creator of the original source material.
Gavin Logan – Follow me on Twitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5GKJJ4LIAc
Originally published October 31, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
