Since the announcement last year that James O’Barr’s cult classic The Crow would be rebooted by Relativity Media and The Weinstein Company, the production has been fraught with production troubles and fan-backlash. Last October, Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), the director and creative force behind the reboot, left the project completely. So that script and “unnamed actor” that Norrington wanted to star in it was scrapped. Relativity then announced in April that Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) would be helming The Crow but trouble quickly followed with a lawsuit by The Weinstein Company suing Relativity Media over the distribution rights to the movie. Norrington’s version of the reboot would not touch the James O’Barr source material, but now, with Fresnadillo aboard, the reboot will “reinvent” the story of Eric Draven and Shelly Webster.
The latest news from Relativity Media is that Alex Tse (Watchmen) will be penning this “reinvention” with Bradley Cooper (Limitless) attached to star. Will Tse’s script do Eric and Shelly justice? Can Cooper give a good performance when he will be constantly measured up to Brandon Lee’s legacy? Check out the official press release and my comments in the Shakedown below:
Alex Tse to Pen The Crow Reinvention
(Beverly Hills, CA) June 22, 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 acclaimed, sensation 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.
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’ Jesus 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.
Looking ahead, Relativity will release David Ellis’ Shark Night 3D on September 2, 2011 and then the highly-anticipated Immortals on November 11, 2011, starring Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans and Kellan Lutz with John Hurt and Mickey Rourke. The studio is in production on its Untitled Snow White Project (in theatres March 16, 2012), starring Lily Collins as Snow White, Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen, Armie Hammer as Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen. Relativity’s expansive 2012 slate also includes its Haywire (in theaters January 20, 2012), Untitled Raven Project (in theatres March 9, 2012), Untitled Farrelly/Wessler Project (in theatres April 13, 2012), House at the End of the Street (in theatres April 20, 2012), Safe Haven (in theatres June 1, 2012) and Hunter Killer (in theatres December 21, 2012). The studio recently announced the groundbreaking action-thriller Act of Valor will join its 2012 slate, with an exact date to be announced.
ABOUT RELATIVITY MEDIA, LLC
Relativity Media is a next-generation studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment including full-scale film and television production and distribution, the co-financing of major studio film slates, music publishing, sports management, and digital media. Additionally, the company makes strategic partnerships with, and investments in, media and entertainment-related companies and assets.To date, Relativity has committed to, produced and/or financed more than 200 motion pictures. Released films have accumulated more than $15 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Relativity’s recent films include: Bridesmaids, Hop, Limitless, Battle: Los Angeles, Season of The Witch, Little Fockers, The Fighter, The Social Network, Salt, Despicable Me, Grown Ups, Dear John, It’s Complicated, Couples Retreat, and Zombieland. Upcoming films for Relativity include: Shark Night 3D, Immortals, Anonymous, and Cowboys & Aliens. Thirty-six of the company’s films have opened to No. 1 at the box office. Relativity films have earned 60 Oscar® nominations, including nods for The Fighter, The Social Network, The Wolfman, Nine, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma. Fifty-eight of Relativity’s films have each generated more than $100 million in worldwide box-office receipts.
Relativity also owns and operates Rogue Pictures, a company that specializes in films targeted to the 13-25 year old audience, and RogueLife, Relativity’s digital studio which is developing original content for the Web, and creating sustainable online platforms and communities. RelativityREAL, Relativity’s television arm, is currently producing 14 series and more than 20 pilots including Police Women for TLC, Coming Home for Lifetime, and The Great Food Truck Race for Food Network.
ABOUT EDWARD R. PRESSMAN FILM CORP.
Founded in 1969, Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation has produced over 75 world-class motion pictures and helped launch the careers of many of the most prominent figures in the movie industry. The company’s extensive body of work includes groundbreaking films by directors such as Oliver Stone, Terrence Malick, Sam Raimi, David Byrne, Kathryn Bigelow, Alex Proyas, Brian De Palma, David Mamet, Charles Burnett, Abel Ferrara, Wayne Kramer, Mary Harron, Jason Reitman, and Werner Herzog. Led by true industry veteran, Edward R. Pressman, the company is dedicated to producing quality theatrical motion pictures and will continue its 40-year tradition, forging new territory in both the independent and Hollywood arenas. The company is currently in post production on The Moth Diaries, the latest feature from Mary Harron (American Psycho).ABOUT APACHES ENTERTAINMENT
Apaches Entertainment is a film production company based in Madrid, Spain, which was founded in 2009 by producers Enrique López Lavigne and Belén Atienza. Apaches is currently producing The Impossible, written by Sergio Sanchez, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts for Summit and Telecinco; as well as Intruders, written by Jamie Marques and Nico Casariego, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and starring Clive Owen for Universal Pictures International and Antena 3.
[The Shakedown]
Aw, man. You’ve already heard this from Jason in previous articles regarding this ill-fated reboot and what I have to say aligns with his perspective. I am violently opposed to mucking with the original material. To rewrite the original James O’Barr story and step all over Brandon Lee’s legacy is an affront to this cult classic and Lee’s memory. Everything that’s happened with this production points to disaster and Bradley Cooper is a poor schmuck for agreeing to star.
O’Barr is not involved with this reboot (or any of the previous sequels) so don’t go pointing any fingers at him. We spoke with O’Barr early on in the reboot effort and this was his response:
“Other than greed, there’s no reason to do this.”
Like O’Barr has said, Eric is Brandon’s character:
“[The Crow was] Brandon’s achievement… the only film he ever made that he wasn’t in his father’s shadow.”
To heck with this reboot! Put your hard-earned cash to support James O’Barr instead with his release of The Crow: Special Edition that we gave you an exclusive preview of back in April of last year with over thirty pages of new artwork that augments the story. The Crow: Special Edition is due out July 26, 2011.
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Read more about what James O’Barr has to say about The Crow reboot here.
The Crow was slated to hit theaters in 2011, but in light of the progress in production, it is unlikely that it will be released this year.
