THE CROW creator James O’Barr discusses the series reboot

The-Crow

During an in-depth discussion with blogger Sean C.W. Korsgaard, THE CROW creator James O’Barr discussed the upcoming reboot as well as his involvement with the new film:

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.

He then went into details regarding actor Luke Evans taking over as the character of Eric, a role originally portrayed by the late Brandon Lee:

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… no one understands that fear more than me. Brandon Lee was a friend and I’d never do anything to hurt his legacy.

One thing that will not change is O’Barr’s deal to have full control over the film’s soundtrack — the same agreement that he had made with director Alex Proyas for 1994’s THE CROW:

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.

Lastly, O’Barr stated that he’s signed off on Evans look for the film and that he thinks the studio has finally figured things out:

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.

As I’ve stated in the past, I have a great dislike for film reboots and THE CROW was one of the ones that I swore an oath to never support. After reading O’Barr’s thoughts on the new film, though, I may have to return my original sentiments. For one, I’ve been enjoying Evans’ rise to fame with his exciting roles in films such as THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG and DRACULA UNTOLD. Now with O’Barr saying that he doesn’t want to hurt Lee’s legacy and that this is a new adaptation of the book more than it is a remake of the original film, I’m more willing to give it a chance. At least it sounds like it’ll keep its dark, gothic tone rather than becoming a flashy, CGI-infused love-fest.

As of now, only Evans has signed on for the new film. THE CROW will be directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez (BEFORE THE FALL) from a screenplay by Nick Cave (LAWLESS) and Cliff Dorfman (WARRIOR). There’s currently no release date set.

About the author

NINJA | Ken loves comics, video games, and film -- especially creature features and giant monster flicks. When he's not stalking the shadows as part of the Ninja Clan, he spends his time obsessively collecting ThunderCats, King Kong, and Pacific Rim memorabilia.