Nick Cave Rewriting The Crow

by SuperHeroHype

Jul 27th, 2010

The new adaptation of the comic

TheWrap has learned from producer Ed Pressman that Australian musician Nick Cave has been brought on board to rewrite Stephen Norrington's script for The Crow reinvention.

Based on the comic created by James O'Barr, Norrington's screenplay was set in two locations: "the southwest -- the Mexico/Arizona area -- and an urban [setting] -- Detroit or Pittsburgh or something like that."

Cave made his screenwriting debut with John Hillcoat's 1988 prison drama Ghosts … of the Civil Dead and wrote Hillcoat's The Proposition.

A 1994 adaptation, starring Brandon Lee, was directed by Alex Proyas.

From IGN:

Max Payne is... The Crow?

Boogie Nights star might get lead role in reboot.

October 19, 2010

by Phil Pirrello

The last time Mark Wahlberg went all Man on Fire, it was in the not-so-much movie adaptation of the video game Max Payne. Now, it looks like Dirk Diggler is going to the revenge well again, as he has apparently been offered the role in director Stephen Norrington's Crow reboot.

Yep. That's not a typo.

Say hi to your mother for me, BloodyDisgusting.com: "Bloody Disgusting has confirmed exclusively that Mark Wahlberg was offered the lead role in Relativity Media's The Crow, a remake of the 1994 film that starred Brandon Lee as a man (Eric Draven) brutally murdered that comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancee's murder."

Now, it's just an offer - Wahlberg has yet to accept the role. Should he take the part, he'll be working with director Stephen Norrington (Blade) from a script Norrington wrote. Recently, The Proposition scribe Nick Cave did a rewrite on Norrington's script.

Few details are known about the story, other than it is set in Detroit and will presumably follow the vendetta-fueled murder spree of a guy back from the grave.

Stephen Norrington Departs The Crow

by SuperHeroHype

Oct 21st, 2010

The franchise reboot is currently without an announced director

Director Stephen Norrington is no longer attached to The Crow, reports Mania.com.

When approached for comment about casting rumors, Norrington told the site that he was off the project, following the demands of an unnamed actor to completely overhaul the script (which Norrington had drafted and which was rewritten by Nick Cave).

"As I had gotten involved explicitly as a writer-director my exit was inevitable," says Norrington, "I was bummed. I had developed a genuinely authentic take that respected the source material while moving beyond it, and Nick Cave came in and added more depth. I think the fans would have been pleasantly surprised."

The current status of the project is unknown but it will presumably move forward with a different creative vision.

Crow Reboot Likely to Fly On

Source: ShockTillYouDrop

June 15, 2011

There's still a lot of legal b.s. to sort out, but, so far, Relativity is winning the battle for The Crow.

The Weinstein Company sued Relativity in April over the Relativity's plans to reboot The Crow. The Weinsteins have had a part in the franchise since the 1994 film.

According to Deadline, Relativity has won its day in court.

Says the site, "The Court agreed with Relativity that TWC's lawsuit against Relativity was improper and violated the parties' arbitration agreement. TWC must now defend itself in the ongoing arbitration proceeding filed by Relativity."

Again, while the dispute isn't entirely over. It's looking somewhat likely that the reboot will happen eventually.

Alex Tse Takes The Crow

By SuperHeroHype

Jun 22nd, 2011

Relativity Media's President of Worldwide Production, Tucker Tooley, and Edward R. Pressman, producer behind the cult-classic "The Crow" franchise, announced today they have attached Alex Tse (Watchmen) to write their reinvention of The Crow, the 1994 critically film based on the comic book series and comic strip by James O'Barr.

Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later), The Crow adaptation will be a gritty reboot of the gothic iconic character Eric Draven, who returns from the grave as The Crow on a mission to avenge his wife's murder, so that his soul can finally rest. Bradley Cooper (Limitless) is attached to star as Draven. "The original film is known for its breakthrough visual style as well as its unique production design and cinematography. Fresnadillo and Tse are perfectly suited to bring these beloved characters back to life, and to create a world worthy of this modern classic," said Relativity.

Relativity and Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation will be teaming with Spain-based Apaches Entertainment on the production. The Crow is being produced by Edward R. Pressman, Jeff Most, Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, and Apaches' Enrique López Lavigne and Belén Atienza. Relativity's Tooley (The Fighter) and Apaches' jingle de la Vega will serve as executive producers. José Ibáñez and Pressman Film Corporation's Jon Katz will serve as co-producers.

Tse is represented by CAA, Margaret Riley at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and attorney Ira Scheck of Schreck Rose & Dapello.

Read more about: The Crow

Relativity and The Weinstein Co. Settle The Crow Lawsuit

by SuperHeroHype

January 23, 2012

Relativity Media alerted us today that the company and The Weinstein Company have settled the lawsuit over The Crow and will together continue to develop a new feature:

"The lawsuit between Relativity Media and The Weinstein Company concerning THE CROW has been amicably settled out of court, and the parties will continue to work on the film together as planned. In addition, Relativity Media has dismissed all of its claims against The Weinstein Company for any wrongdoing regarding the release and distribution of NINE, and The Weinstein Company has dismissed all of its claims against Relativity Media."

You can read more on the lawsuit here. Bradley Cooper was attached to the new film for a while, but dropped out last August.

The Crow Reboot Signs a Writer and Director

by SuperHeroHype

January 24, 2012

Relativity Media’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley, Edward R. Pressman, producer behind the cult-classic The Crow franchise, and The Weinstein Company’s Dimension Films, announced today they have closed a deal with F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before The Fall) to direct a reinvention of The Crow, the 1994 smash hit film based on the comic book series and comic strip by James O’Barr. Writer Jesse Wigutow has signed on to pen the script.

Gutiérrez’s directorial debut, the Spanish-language apocalyptic thriller Before the Fall (Tres Dias), became an international and award-winning sensation after premiering at the Berlinale Film Festival in 2008. In Spain, the film won Best Motion Picture and Best Screenplay at the 2008 Malaga Film Festival, the Miradas Award (TVE) for Best Motion Picture of the Year, and garnered nominations from the Spain Critics Awards. In Europe, the film was a finalist for the 2008 European Film Awards and won main prizes in such science-fiction and fantasy film festivals as the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, the Trieste Film Fesitval, and later in the U.S., picked up four awards at Los Angeles’ famed Horror Festival “Scream Fest” in 2009 (for editing, Gutiérrez’s directing, cinematography, and actor Victor Clavijo). The film also ranked #3 on the “International Watch List 2008”. Gutiérrez is currently developing Dimension Films’ sci-fi thriller The Greys.

Wigutow most recently did a re-write for Robert Ludlum’s thriller The Osterman Weekend for Summit, and adapted the book “Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel” for Brian Oliver’s Cross Creek Films. He is also developing Age Inappropriate at Universal and Irreparable Harm at HBO. Previously, he has worked on films including: Tron: Legacy, 8 Mile, Eragon, and The Ruins.

The Crow adaptation will be a gritty reboot of the iconic character Eric Draven, who returns from the grave as The Crow on a mission to avenge his wife’s murder, so that his soul can finally rest. The original film is known for its breakthrough visual style as well as its unique production design and cinematography. The project is currently in development; start of production, targeted release dates and casting to be announced.

The film is being produced by Edward R. Pressman, Jeff Most and Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh. Relativity’s Tooley (Immortals), The Weinstein Company’s Harvey and Bob Weinstein and Farah Films’ Dan Farah (Armored) will serve as executive producers.

Producer Offers Update on The Crow

by SuperHeroHype

June 27, 2012

Though it seems a little out of place to really do a remake of The Crow, it's probably going to happen. There hasn't been a lot of forward momentum on the flick in some time but the producer, Edward R. Pressman, offered an update in an interview with CBR.

"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 Gutierrez and screenwriter Jesse Wigutow on this story, which remains true to the core of Eric Draven's plight for revenge," he said. "Giving too much away wouldn't be any fun. 'Disorder, chaos, anarchy -- now that's fun!'

Sounds like he knows what he's doing, but we will have to wait and see.

Tom Hiddleston in Talks to Play The Crow

by SuperHeroHype

April 19, 2013

After playing Loki, God of Mischief, in Marvel Studios' Thor, last year's blockbuster Marvel's The Avengers, and returning in the role later this year for the sequel Thor: The Dark World, British actor Tom Hiddleston may be switching from villain to hero as he's in early talks to play Eric Draven in Relativity Media's reimagining of James O' Barr's gothic comic character The Crow.

Previously turned into a 1994 cult movie starring the late Brandon Lee, the concept involves a man who returns from death to get revenge on those who killed him, a movie which spawned a number of sequels. O'Barr wrote the original comic to deal with the death of his girlfriend.

This new version will be directed by Spanish filmmaker F. Javier Guttierez from a script by Cliff Dorfman (Warrior) with production planned to start in the fall depending on various factors. Ed Pressman (Pressman Film), Kevin Misher (Misher Films) are producing with Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, Jeff Most and others.

The popular British actor pushed for the role over dinner with the producers after doing his own make-up test in London with plans to do full makeup tests before making a final decision.

Previously, Scottish actor James McAvoy was up for the role but Hiddleston is arguably a much bigger star with a huge female fanbase that could bring in a much larger audience for this version of The Crow.

Luke Evans Is... The Crow!

by SuperHeroHype

May 04, 2013

There have been a number of actors in talks and names very loosely attached but it looks like Relativity Media have made their decision and the actor who will play The Crow in the reboot of James O'Barr's dark tale of vengeance is none other than...

Welsh actor Luke Evans!

Evans was the original choice of Spanish filmmaker F. Javier Gutierrez, but he had been busy, having been cast in Dracula Year Zero and as Bard the Bowman in Peter Jackson's The Desolation of Smaug while other actors in the mix included James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston and Alexander Skarsgard. Instead, they decided to push back the start of the movie until early 2014 to accommodate Evans, who next appears as the villain in the summer's anticipated Fast and Furious 6.

Evans has only been on the scene a few years, his first big movie being Louis Letterier's Clash of the Titans in which he played the god Apollo. A year later he was one of The Three Musketeers in Paul W.S. Anderson's reimagining and then he stepped up to play the Greek God Zeus in Tarsem's Immortals.

With this booking, Evans also has the distinction of being the only actor (so far) to appear in both The Raven and The Crow.

He steps into the shoes of the late Brandon Lee who helped turn the original 1994 Alex Proyas-directed movie into a cult hit.

Luke Evans Updates on The Crow

by SuperHeroHype

May 06, 2013

Starring as the head of a villainous gang of international car thieves in Justin Lin's upcoming Fast & Furious 6, actor Luke Evans is gearing up to take on a slate of upcoming projects that should certainly interest genre fans. He's set to play Bard the Bowman in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, take on the title role in Gary Shore's Dracula and, just announced over the weekend, Evans will play the lead in F. Javier Gutierrez's reboot of The Crow franchise.

"[The Crow] was a very poignant film from my childhood, which I remember vividly," he says of the F. Javier Gutiérrez remake. "The soundtrack, also. It was such a solid performance that Brandon Lee gave. It was a very tragic end for somebody that probably would have had a very promising career... I'm Eric Draven. I'm the same character. Obviously, he's been refreshed and brought up to date. We're reimagining it to a certain extent, but the story and the plot is mostly the same."

Cameras won't roll on The Crow until 2014, however. Immediately after Los Angeles' Fast & Furious 6 premiere, Evans will next return to New Zealand for an additional five-and-a-half weeks of production on The Hobbit. After that, it's off to Belfast for Dracula.