The reboot of 1994 cult classic The Crow will need to find another Eric Draven. Variety reports Jack Huston, who was set to play the titular character, is the latest actor to drop out of the project — this time, weeks before filming was expected to begin.
“Jack Huston is unfortunately unavailable to continue with us on ‘The Crow,'” said director Corin Hardy in a statement. “‘The Crow’ is an amazing project, and I am grateful that we have the time and patience to get it right. We look forward to unveiling our new lead and starting to film over the next several weeks.”
The film, about a rock musician who’s brought back to life to avenge the murder of his fiancée, was hugely popular upon its release, receiving both critical acclaim and drawing solid box office. The Crow is worthy of its cult-classic status. The infamous death of Brandon Lee, who was killed on set when he was shot with a gun supposed to be filled with blanks, is one of the biggest tragedies in film history.
Jack Huston has dropped out of #TheCrow remake weeks before filming was to begin. http://t.co/znSNZGs9YS pic.twitter.com/OgeYf4F5sL
— Variety (@Variety) June 16, 2015
This new project has had so many casting and director changes, it’s surprising to see the project continue.
Production on the reboot started way back in 2008 when director Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentleman) was tapped to helm the project. After he left the project in 2011, Juan Carlos Gresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) was chosen to direct.
Actor Bradley Cooper was attached to the project around that time, but after he dropped out, a bunch of A-list actors became attached to the project. Mark Wahlberg, Channing Tatum, Ryan Gosling and James McAvoy were all at one time rumoured to be taking the lead — but none of them committed to star. Fresnadillo dropped out the same year.
Things were handed over to Brazilian F. Javier Gutierrez in 2012, and the search for a new lead actor began. More big name actors, including The Avengers’ Tom Hiddleston were attached to the role, but nothing was announced. It wasn’t until 2013 that Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) had officially been cast as the lead and it finally seemed a Crow remake would see the light of day. The film hired another new director, this time Corin Hardy (The Hallow), with Gutierrez sticking around has an executive producer. Alas, Evans dropped out of the project and production was slowed down.
Fast-forward to this year, the film cast Huston, with actress Jessica Brown Findlay as Shelly Webster, and things finally seemed to being moving ahead. But now that Huston’s dropped out from the project, we’re back at square one.
Recent reports suggest Nicholas Hoult and Jack O’Connell, who coincidentally were both leads in different series of the British TV show Skins, are being eyed for the role. They are both solid choices should the film going into production. Hoult is one of Hollywood’s hottest young actors, appearing in numerous blockbusters including the X-Men franchise and Mad Max: Fury Road.
O’Connell, on the other hand, doesn’t have as big of a resume as Hoult, but he’s received a fair share of acclaim for his performances in Starred Up (2013) and Unbroken (2014).
The big question still remains, does anybody actually want to see a remake of the film? Is there a fresh angle or something that can be improved upon that makes the property worth rebooting? I don’t think there is. The Crow, while by no means a perfect film, is an experience in its own — and the fact that this version has been stuck in production hell suggests it’s not going to be worth the wait. In an age where everything seems to be getting reimagined, this may be the icing on the shit cake. I hope it never sees the light of day.
