Julius OkorieEric Draven made the much awaited return in The Crow and offers viewers a chance to see a new adaptation of the beloved character.
The Lionsgate exclusive with possible IMAX showings was finally released on Friday, 23rd August 2024 after initial false starts. Those waiting to stream The Crow on Starz will however be patient, with a likely release date in February 2025 based on Lionsgate’s history.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMeanwhile, The Crow producer, Molly Hassell, has defended the adaptation from criticisms made by the original 1994 movie’s director, Alex Proyas. Starring Brandon Lee as the vengeful resurrected rock star Eric Draven, the original movie brought James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book series to life to financial and critical success, even in the face of on-set tragedy.
After 16 years of false starts, cast and crew switch-ups, and rewrites, a new reimagining of the original Crow comic revisits the tragic tale, as Skarsgård’s Eric is offered supernatural gifts to kill his and his fiancée’s killers.
Just before the release, Hassell opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about criticisms made by Proyas in March. Hassell defended the work put into the film by the cast and crew as something to be proud of, emphasising her surprise at Proyas’ critiques.
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“It should make people proud. I’m surprised it hasn’t made the original filmmakers more proud, because it’s a step in a different direction, but it’s a necessary step to deal with the age-old themes of love and loss”
Alex Projas however insists that his submission is not out of bad intention but the need to give Lee the respect he deserves.
While Proyas has been firm in his disagreement over many iterations of another Crow movie, he has never approached it from a position of ill intent.
With his comments in March 2024, he stated he takes no joy in critiquing the production and knows that the cast and crew had good intentions, but that a new movie shouldn’t be made out of respect for Lee, who lost his life in an on-set firearms incident during filming. Proyas isn’t the only original movie creative to address the 2024 Crow.
Rochelle Davis, who portrayed Sarah in the original movie, was quick to critique the appearance of Skarsgård’s Eric, simply stating “Yuck” and that the actor should have been more faithful to the character’s original appearance out of respect for Lee’s portrayal.
Furthermore, Ernie Hudson also made his opposition known, stating that while he was fine with seeing other characters take on the mantle as past The Crow sequels have explored, he personally felt retelling Eric’s story wouldn’t honor Lee’s memory. As such, few involved in the original have been pleased with the remake.
Lionsgate, the studio behind the 2024 The Crow, has stated that Skarsgård’s character is not Eric Draven, but is simply referred to as “Eric,” and that the movie itself is not a remake of the 1994 film, but instead a new adaptation of the comic.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
