The Crow is a 2024 superhero film directed by Rupert Sanders from a screenplay by Zach Baylin and William Schneider. A reboot of The Crow film series, it is the fifth film in the franchise, and is the second film, after the 1994 film, to adapt the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven / The Crow, a man who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his girlfriend, played by FKA Twigs. The film entered development in December 2008, with Stephen Norrington stating that he would write and direct a "reinvention" of The Crow. It entered a complicated production process with various directors, screenwriters, and cast members attached at various points. Filmmakers Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, F. Javier Gutiérrez, and Corin Hardy were initially signed to direct while Bradley Cooper, Luke Evans, Jack Huston, and Jason Momoa were all cast as Eric during various points in development. Skarsgård was announced as Eric in April 2022, along with Sanders as director. Filming began in July, occurring in Prague and Penzing near Munich. The Crow had its world premiere in New York City on August 20, 2024, and was released in France on August 21, and in the United States and United Kingdom on August 23. It received negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, grossing $24 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million.

Plot

Eric, an addict with a troubled childhood, struggles with life and nightmares at a rehabilitation center. Shelly, a musician with similar issues, receives a video on her cell phone from her friend Zadie that incriminates Vincent Roeg, a crime lord posing as a musical aristocrat. Choosing to save the video, despite knowing that possessing it would lead to her death, Shelly attempts to go into hiding but is immediately pursued by Roeg's henchmen. They break their pursuit when Shelly is arrested for drug possession. Zadie is captured and interrogated by Roeg. He reveals that, centuries earlier, he had made a pact with the devil to send innocent souls to Hell in exchange for eternal life. He forces Zadie to kill herself by whispering incantations in her ear. Shelly is sent to the same rehab center where Eric is situated. The two become smitten with each other and bond over time. When Marion, Roeg's right-hand woman, suddenly appears at the institution, Shelly panics and convinces Eric to help her escape. They take refuge in the vacant home of one of Shelly's friends, and the two quickly fall in love and attempt to live a carefree life together, but are soon found by Roeg's men and murdered. Eric awakens in a purgatory-like rail yard where Kronos, a spirit guide, explains that Eric will have to kill Roeg to be reunited with Shelly. Revived and possessing the ability to heal from injuries, Eric visits Sophia, Shelly's mother, who was present with Marion at the rehab center. Sophia reveals that she made a deal with Roeg: wealth in exchange for Shelly's soul. After Eric leaves, Roeg visits Sophia to inquire about Eric but forces her to jump off the roof when dissatisfied with her answers. Eric proceeds to hunt down and kill several of Roeg's men and finds Shelly's phone with the incriminating video revealing that Roeg had previously forced Shelly to kill a woman. Suddenly doubting his love for Shelly, Eric loses his ability to heal and is again killed. Returned to the afterlife, Eric makes a deal with Kronos to take Shelly's place in Hell in exchange for another chance to kill Roeg. Roeg learns of Eric's supernatural abilities and orders Marion to lure him to them in order to seize Eric's powers. Eric tracks Marion to an opera house, savagely killing all of Roeg's men to reach her. Marion reluctantly discloses Roeg's location before Eric decapitates her. Roeg subdues Eric and attempts to steal his powers before Eric transports them both to the afterlife, where he quickly finishes Roeg and saves Shelly's soul. After a brief reunion between the lovers, Shelly is revived on the night of their deaths and mourns for Eric after Kronos, disguised as a medic, tells her that he gave his life for her. Eric accepts his fate, content in his belief that their souls will one day find each other again.

Cast

Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven / The Crow FKA Twigs as Shelly Webster, Eric's girlfriend Danny Huston as Vincent Roeg, a demonic crime lord Josette Simon as Sophia, Shelly's mother Laura Birn as Marion, Roeg's right-hand woman Sami Bouajila as Kronos, a spirit that guides Eric in his mission Isabella Wei as Zadie, Shelly's friend Jordan Bolger as Chance, a tattoo artist and friend of Eric and Shelly

Production

= Development

= On December 14, 2008, Stephen Norrington announced to Variety that he planned to write and direct a "reinvention" of The Crow (1989). Norrington distinguished between the 1994 adaptation and his take: "Whereas Alex Proyas' original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style." Ryan Kavanaugh then announced on November 23, 2009, that his company, Relativity Media, was in negotiations with Edward R. Pressman for both the film's rights and financing. In July 2010, Australian musician Nick Cave was brought in to revise the script. In October 2010, reports emerged that Mark Wahlberg was offered the lead role. Norrington later stepped out of the project and, on April 7, 2011, it was announced that Juan Carlos Fresnadillo had been chosen to direct the film, which has since been regarded as a remake. Tucker Tooley of Relativity was chosen to serve as executive producer, while Jose Ibanez, Jon Katz, and Jesus de la Vega were to serve as co-producers. Meanwhile, Bradley Cooper was in talks to play the lead. F. Javier Gutiérrez was also in consideration to replace Norrington. It was reported on April 20, 2011, that the project was stalled due to a legal battle between Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh and The Weinstein Company, who still retained the worldwide distribution rights to the series. In late June 2011, Relativity announced their plans to continue in mid-lawsuit and had tapped Alex Tse. In mid-August 2011, it was announced that Cooper had dropped out due to scheduling difficulties and Wahlberg was again up for the part, with additional rumors of Channing Tatum or Ryan Gosling possibly taking the role, as well as James McAvoy. In October 2011, it was reported that Fresnadillo had departed the project as well. It was confirmed in January 2012 that Gutiérrez had signed on to direct the remake, with Edward R. Pressman, Ryan Kavanaugh, and Jeff Most on producing duties. Gutiérrez's intention for the film was to do a direct page-for-page adaptation of the comic book. Jesse Wigutow was attached as screenwriter while Dan Farah would join Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and Tooley as executive producers. In June 2012, Pressman assured fans that "the original 1994 Crow film holds a special place in my heart. The current film is a 'reinvention' of James O'Barr's graphic novel for the 21st century. We're thrilled to have teamed with director Javier Gutiérrez and screenwriter Jesse Wigutow on this story, which remains true to the core of Eric Draven's plight for revenge. On the news of future remakes, however, O'Barr stated: "[...] I don't have great expectations. I think the reality is, no matter who you get to star in it, or if you get Ridley Scott to direct it and spend 200 million dollars, you're still not gonna top what Brandon Lee and Alex Proyas did in that first ten million dollar movie." Screenwriter Cliff Dorfman was enlisted for a page-one rewrite, which ultimately got the project greenlit. The director courted production designer Bo Welch, effects artist Rick Baker, musician Atticus Ross, and makeup designer Bill Corso for the film. On April 19, 2013, it was announced that Tom Hiddleston was in talks to play Eric. That same month, there were reports that Hiddleston would not be doing the film, but that Alexander Skarsgård was in talks for the part. A week later, however, Skarsgård stated that he was not attached to the film. On May 4, 2013, Deadline reported that Luke Evans had been cast as Eric. Evans reaffirmed to Superhero Hype that the film would be as faithful as possible to the original. On July 3, 2013, The Crow's creator James O'Barr was named as the creative consultant of the film. In an October 2015 interview, O'Barr would discuss what had changed his mind about the reboot, and efforts to make the reboot a more faithful adaptation of the comic book, while remaining respectful to the original film. On November 21, 2013, Schmoes Know had reports that Norman Reedus was up for the role of a character named "James", and that Kristen Stewart had at one time been considered for the part of Shelly. Location scouting took place in New Orleans, Louisiana and later in the United Kingdom. In July 2014, Gutiérrez signed on to the film Rings (2017), which would force him to later drop out of directing the film. In November 2014, O'Barr announced he was co-writing the screenplay with Cliff Dorfman. In December 2014, the studio hired Corin Hardy to direct the film. Evans told Den of Geek in an interview that he might not do the film, and it was later revealed that Evans has dropped out of the film due to other projects. On February 9, 2015, O'Barr told Blastr in an interview that he was interested in Sam Witwer for the role. In October 2014, comic creator James O'Barr said: "[We're] not remaking the movie. We're re-adapting the book. My metaphor is that there is a Bela Lugosi Dracula (1931) and there's a Francis Ford Coppola Dracula (1992). They use the same material, but you still got two entirely different films. This one's going to be closer to Taxi Driver (1976) 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." O'Barr said that the new film will stick closer to his book than the original adaptation. On October 24, 2014, the film was set to start production in the spring of 2015. On February 25, 2015, it was reported that Jack Huston was in talks to star in the film. On March 14, 2015, O'Barr confirmed to Dread Central at the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention that Huston had been cast as Eric in the reboot, and at a Q&A during the convention he further confirmed that Jessica Brown Findlay had been cast as Shelly Webster. On May 20, 2015, Deadline reported that Andrea Riseborough was in talks to co-star as the female version of Top Dollar. On June 15, 2015, Variety reported two stories: Forest Whitaker was in negotiations for a role and Huston had dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, but Relativity Studios were looking at Nicholas Hoult and Jack O'Connell for the role of Eric. On July 31, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that production on the reboot stalled because of Relativity Media's bankruptcy. O'Barr told ComicBook.com in an interview that the film would still happen. TheWrap reported that filming on the reboot was going to start in March 2016 with Hardy on board as director. On June 15, 2016, Deadline reported that Hardy returned to the reboot. On August 10, 2016, Jason Momoa posted a photo of himself with Hardy on his Instagram account. On September 6, 2016, TheWrap reported that Momoa was cast and filming was set to begin in January 2017. On November 17, 2016, the film was retitled to The Crow Reborn, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting that Highland Film Group and Electric Shadow have acquired the rights to finance, produce, and distribute the film from Relativity but may lose both Momoa and Hardy. In September 2017, it was announced that Sony Pictures would distribute the film. In March 2018, the film was slated for a release date of October 11, 2019. On May 31, 2018, it was announced that both director Hardy and star Momoa had exited the project. Production was expected to begin later that year in Budapest. On social media, Hardy revealed that he had creative differences with the rights holder, Samuel Hadida of Davis Films, and that leaving the film was the "hardest decision of all". In November 2019, Proyas said he had tried to stop a reboot from happening out of respect for Lee, adding, "It's not just a movie that can be remade. It's one man's legacy. And it should be treated with that level of respect."

= Pre-production

= In January 2020, the film was revived and development resumed. In March 2022, Pressman reaffirmed that the film was still on track. The following month, Rupert Sanders and Zach Baylin were announced as director and writer, while Edward R. Pressman and Malcolm Gray co-produced. On April 1, 2022, it was announced by The Hollywood Reporter that Bill Skarsgård, whose brother Alexander was formerly in talks for the lead role, would star as Eric. In the same month, it was reported that FKA Twigs would star as Shelly Webster, while Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, and John Jencks joined as producers. Sanders had focused on the themes of grief and morality when creating the film, wanting to create a "dark romance". He described the film's tone as being similar to a song by the Cure and wrote the script to honor the passing of Lee, describing Skarsgård's version as being a "successor". Twigs and Skarsgård did not perform together prior to filming, but attending a dinner on set while filming in Prague as Sanders was confident in their acting abilities. While in Prague, Twigs developed the concept for her third studio album Eusexua (2025).

= Filming

= Principal photography commenced on July 13, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic. Paperwork filed from the film's production falsely identified the project as a six-episode television series. Filming was previously set to commence in June 2022, shooting in Prague and Munich. To ensure the safety and comfort of all the cast and crew in light of the 1994 film's shooting incident as well as the then-recent similar incident on Rust, Sanders met with the special effects department and armorer in Prague the first day, and told them that no firing weapons would be used on his set, using airsoft guns instead even though it cost them a bit of the very limited visual effects budget's money to add a muzzle flash and smoke, with Sanders feeling that the film's visual effects were very much in-camera and shot at a location with set extension. By August 26, 2022, Danny Huston, whose nephew Jack was previously cast as Eric in March 2015, was cast as Vincent Roeg. It was also revealed that Isabella Wei joined the cast as Zadie. On September 16, 2022, the film wrapped production. Skarsgård surprised Sanders with his diet conditions, which involved a pound of steak tartare daily. Skarsgård arrived directly from shooting Boy Kills World (2024) and worked four straight months with no complaints and very few free days, even doing a scene where he was covered in black syrup, despite it being the last night. Since filming had wrapped, Skarsgård had felt a certain distance from the film, due to the ending. When asked about this during his Esquire Magazine interview, he mentioned how the ending made the path for a sequel easier, stating "I personally preferred something more definitive."

= Post-production

= In September 2022, virtual production on the film occurred at Penzing Studios, in Penzing, Germany, while the digital asset creation and VFX work occurred in Bavaria, Germany. The film is the first major international production to shoot at the studio. By November 2022, Ashland Hill Media had financed the film's post-production. In April 2024, writing credits were designated to Zach Baylin and William Schneider; additional literary material credits were given to Aaron Rabin as well as David J. Schow and John Shirley, credited screenwriters on the original film.

Release

= Theatrical

= The Crow was theatrically released in France by Metropolitan Filmexport on August 21, 2024, and in the United States and United Kingdom on August 23, 2024, by Lionsgate Films and Entertainment Film Distributors, respectively. It was originally scheduled for June 7, 2024. Lionsgate acquired the film's distribution rights for $10 million and spent $15 million on print and advertising. FilmNation Entertainment sold the film's international distribution rights to various buyers at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022.

= Home media

= On September 10, 2024, Lionsgate Home Entertainment announced that The Crow would be released on premium video-on-demand platforms and digital distribution on September 13, 2024.

Reception

= Box office

= As of November 3, 2024, The Crow has grossed $9.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $14.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $24 million. In the United States and Canada, The Crow was released alongside Blink Twice and The Forge, and was initially projected to gross $6–9 million from 2,752 theaters in its opening weekend. After making $2 million on its first day, including an estimated $650,000 from Thursday night previews, projections were lowered to $4.5–5 million. The film went on to debut to $4.6 million, finishing eighth at the box office. Deadline called the opening "disastrous", noting that the original film opened to $11.7 million in 1994 ($35.5 million in 2024 adjusted for inflation). Kotaku blamed the film's performance on the general lack of popularity of the film series, noting that except for the 1994 film, the others in the series were unsuccessful. The film dropped out of the box office top ten in its second weekend with $1.8 million.

= Critical response

= The Crow received negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 22% of 134 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Dreary and poorly paced, this reimagining of The Crow doesn't have enough personality or pulse to merit the resurrection." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it a 47% overall positive score (with an average of 1.5 out of 5 stars), with 36% saying they would definitely recommend it. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian wrote: "It was no real surprise that a tortured update of 1994's cursed goth revenge thriller The Crow would be a misfire – it's been in development since 2008 with multiple directors and actors attached ever since – but it's genuinely startling just how utterly wretched the finished product is and how unfit it is for a wide release." Alison Willmore of Vulture was critical of the overall production and commented upon the acting, saying that "Skarsgård and Twigs have a total absence of chemistry, and while she's adequate in what's still basically a dead-wife role, he's shockingly inert for someone with a career built almost entirely on characters at the intersection of creepy and hottie." Another negative review came from Empire, who rated the film 1 out of 5, finishing by calling it "a turkey in Crow's clothing". Other negative reviews were published in Screen Daily and Mashable. On a positive note, Rafer Guzmán opined that The Crow was "an improvement on the 1994 film version", adding that it "feels less like a comic-book movie and more like an edgy romance from a hip studio like A24 or Neon." Guzmán also praised the climactic action sequence in the opera house. In a more mixed review, CGMagazine wrote: "At the end of the night, The Crow (2024) isn't the worst movie of the year, and if you're a fan of the comic series or are a fan of Bill Skarsgård, you'll likely walk out of The Crow with a big grin on your face. For everyone else, however, the latest adaptation of the dark anti-hero kind of just feels like another R-rated take on the oversaturated superhero genre that plagues modern movie theatres everywhere." A mixed review in The Ringer concluded: "And while the Crow reboot, like any film, ought to be viewed with an open mind, it's hard not to feel like the franchise should have ended with the original film's send-off." Matt Zoller Seitz offered qualified praise in his review for RogerEbert.com, writing that "for all its disappointments and missteps—including a lack of imaginative compositions, and some muddy or milky nighttime photography—the movie's got something—a specialness, an aura, or maybe just an obvious purity of intent—that ought to inoculate it against charges that it's just a cash-grab remake."

= Response from 1994 film's crew

= Director Alex Proyas and actress Rochelle Davis, who portrayed Sarah, both refused to see the reboot out of respect for Brandon Lee's legacy (Lee portrayed Eric/The Crow in the 1994 film of the same name), with Proyas dismissing the reboot as a "cynical cash-grab". Sofia Shinas, who played Shelly in the original, also expressed her disappointment in the reboot, while Ernie Hudson, who played Sergeant Albrecht, expressed mixed feelings.

Possible sequel

According to Skarsgård, the original ending was changed by the filmmakers to invoke the possibility of a sequel, despite his reservations.

Notes

References

External links

Official website The Crow at IMDb