The Crow has been resurrected once again, like its vengeful protagonist rising from the grave.
Last month we finally got a sneak peek of Bill Skarsgård’s transformation into the vengeful rocker Eric Draven in a couple of stills from Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell, Snow White and the Huntsman) imminent reboot. The photographs might have ruffled a couple of original director, Alex Proyas’ feathers which lead to him mocking what the stylists had done to Skarsgård’s hair. But as the saying goes, never judge a reboot by its pseudo-mullet. And today, we finally get a full glimpse of what audiences can anticipate with the release of the first official trailer. While Skarsgård’s follicles may still raise eyebrows, the footage suggests the reboot could potentially capture the same dangerous, brooding energy that captivated audiences back in 1994 whilst taking the banzai violence to absolute extreme levels.
This latest incarnation marks the fifth on-screen adaptation of James O’Barr’s graphic novel, following three sequels and a short-lived TV series, each featuring a new face behind the ghostly pale makeup. Revisiting the darkly poetic tale of loss and retribution through a contemporary lens, The Crow centres on soulmates Eric Draven and Shelly Webster who are brutally murdered. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek revenge, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
Directed by Sanders, from a screenplay penned by Zach Baylin (Bob Marley: One Love, Gran Turismo, Creed III) and William Joseph Scheider (who has also written the forthcoming Return to Silent Hill), this re-imagining of James O’Barr’s graphic novel promises to be a visually stunning trip into the realms of both the living and the dead, delivering audiences the reboot they’ve long been craving – if the curse that has haunted past efforts doesn’t strike again.
The cast is rounded out with Danny Huston, Isabella Wei, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila and Jordan Bolger whilst serving producers are Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks and the late Samuel Hadida and Ed Pressman.
Commenting on how he sees this reboot, Skarsgård says, “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. 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 towards a modern audience. It’s a character that I know many revere and have a strong connection to – he is unlike any I’ve ever taken on before. Working with the remarkably talented FKA Twigs was magical. I felt a responsibility to Eric’s story and endeavored to stay true to the spirit of the source material; I can’t wait for the world to see the film, and hope it resonates with audiences as strongly as it did with those of us involved.”
This modern re-imagining of the cult classic will swoop into theaters this June 7 and after getting our first taste of the film that date can’t come soon enough to see how well it holds up against Proyas’ masterpiece. For now though, we’ll leave you with the aforementioned trailer below. So crank up the volume, sit back, and “Fire it up!”
