A Case For Better Action Movies: In THE CROW, A Doable Dark Revenge Flick That Should’ve Flown Higher
The film is now available from Lionsgate wherever movies are sold.
rupert sanders
A Case For Better Action Movies: Shy Of The Original, THE CROW Flies High Enough For Its Own Ambitions
“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can’t rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.” I remember the first time I watched The Crow (1994). I enjoyed everything about the movie: the story, the action, the visuals, the vibe, the music. It wasn’t until the post-movie discussion with my friends that it was explained to me that the movie wasn’t just another revenge movie: it was about love. So I rewatched it and noticed Eric and Shelly’s love (told in flashes since they were murdered before their wedding) Eric explaining a mother’s love to Sarah’s mom, Eric and Shelly helping Sarah out. Love. And some vengeance, too, mixed with gothy vibes […]
THE CROW: Bill Skarsgård Reaps A Vengeful Awakening In The Official Red-Band Trailer
Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role of THE CROW in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right. Like anyone, I’m holding off on judgment until I see Rupert Sanders’ newest take on The Crow starring Bill Skarsgård. That being said, the official trailer is out, and lends a refreshing look at what awaits in this remake effort. I like that we get to explore the land of the dead a little more, as well as Skarsgård’s gradual transformation, as well as the insight as to the […]
THE CROW Takes Off With New Stills From The Upcoming Remake From Lionsgate
New stills are out for Rupert Sanders’s The Crow as Lionsgate plots a June 7 release. The film stars Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs and Danny Huston in a story based on the hit graphic novel by James O’Barr. Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right. The stills first made their debut over at Vanity Fair on Wednesday, with an in-depth look at Skarsgård and the cast, as well as statements by Sanders on the production, his motivations and working with the cast. It wasn’t long after the stills made the rounds on social media and ardent fans of […]
THE CROW Remake Sets June 2024 Theatrical Release
Rupert Sanders’s reimagining of the James O’Barr graphic novel, The Crow, will open from Lionsgate on June 7. Actor Bill Skarsgård stars in the title role from a script by Zach Baylin and William Josef Schneider, along with FKA Twigs and Danny Huston. The news comes out of The Wrap on Wednesday evening which also reports that John Wick franchise helmer Chad Stahelski is overseeing additional photography for that franchises’s upcoming spin-off, Ballerina. That film stars Ana de Armas and is being directed by Len Wiseman for a June 6, 2025 release, also from Lionsgate. The lead role of Alex Proyas’s 1994 iteration of The Crow from Miramax was debuted by Rapid Fire star Brandon Lee, who died during the film’s production. The movie is currently on track for a 30th anniversary home release on 4K Blu-Ray in May from Paramount Home Media Distribution. The new movie is also Skarsgård’s […]
THE CROW: Danny Huston Joins Graphic Novel Reimagining From Rupert Sanders
Casting buzz is in for actor Danny Huston (Wonder Woman, Clash of the Titans franchise, The Aviator) who now joins Ghost In The Shell helmer Rupert Sanders’ The Crow. He will star alongside leads Bill Skarsgård (It franchise, Eternals, Deadpool 2), FKA twigs (Honeyboy), based on a script by Zach Baylin (King Richard, upcoming Creed III). Plot details are underwraps but the film is billed as “A modern reimagining of the beloved character, THE CROW, based on the original graphic novel by James O’Barr.” Skarsgård will be the latest actor to don the title role following a series of four films and a TV series, each led by a different actor, with the first feature from director Alex Proyas and released by Miramax in 1994, and starring actor Brandon Lee in what would become his final screen credit due to an on-set accident. Producers on the new The Crow include […]
THE CROW Casts Bill Skarsgard And FKA Twigs, Rupert Sanders To Direct
After years in development hell, a reimagining of The Crow finally appears to be on track for production with the casting of Bill Skarsgård (It franchise) and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter FKA twigs (Honeyboy). Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman, Ghost in the Shell, Foundation) will direct a modern reimagining based on James O’ Barr’s beloved 1989 Caliber Comics graphic novel publication, from a script by Academy Award-nominated Zach Baylin (King Richard). Director Alex Proyas first brought the story to the screen in 1994’s The Crow, which starred the late Brandon Lee, and became a cult classic, proceeding with a slew of direct-to-video sequel with actors Vincent Perez, Eric Mabius and Edward Furlong each in the title role, and a TV series starring Mark Dacascos. The central narrative of The Crow as we know it from the ’94 film, sees rock musician Eric Draven, brought back from the dead by a […]
GHOST IN THE SHELL: New IMAX Poster Shows The Major Going In For The Knockout
Director Rupert Sanders’s new movie, Ghost In The Shell is staking its claim in theaters and in IMAX on March 31, running otherwise with an amalgam of different elements from the popular anime/manga property. For the most part, the slick visuals, stunning and stylish portrayals and designs inspired by Shirow Masumane’s original work and Oshii Mamoru’s treatment thereafter don’t offer much to protest offer and you can get a glimpse of that in a new featurette which released on Tuesday. Apart from that, this, like most other IPs, is a beloved classic, making the idea of adapting it quite a tall order and so reviews still await. Certainly, it would be amazing to see this one rate high among critics as we go into the third month of 2017 and with a staunch rollout of great, thrilling and compelling cinema, and even award-winning. Will Ghost In The Shell be the […]
Scarlett Johansson Will Not Be Controlled In The Second Official GHOST IN THE SHELL Trailer
The latest trailer for Rupert Sanders’s manga/anime adaptation, Ghost In The Shell, finally arrived at the bottom of the weekend following its most recent television spot. It looks pretty solid and lo and behold, I woke up on Monday morning to the usual chorus of boos and cheers – boos, of course, with respect to actress Scarlett Johansson’s casting for the lead role as “The Major”, sans Kusanagi, interestingly. I’m not going to lie though. With at least one trailer and several promos online, the visuals and overall adherance to Shirow Masumane’s IP look greatly approving thusfar, and the second trailer beneath looks nothing short of that. Regardless though, I’m pretty much just waiting for the reviews to start pouring out to see if this is recommendable. Critics are usually pretty scathing no matter how fun or slick a film appears to be, and so I’m pretty confident that moviegoers will […]
See The Major In Action In The First Official GHOST IN THE SHELL Trailer
Long overdue for an explanation good enough to adhere to the protest, the release of live-action manga/anime thriller, Ghost In The Shell, now arrives with its first trailer following a spate of micro teasers and a recent behind-the-scenes look. Undoubtedly this one has an otherwise lush and slick look to it in many of the shots, accompanied by sequences respective to some of the original material. Moreover, the added benefit of Johansson’s familiarity with action roles after six years of playing Black Widow in the Marvel films as well as almost unifying approval via the film’s anime patriarch, Oshii Mamoru, certainly gives the film a voice to stake its claim for its international feature film appeal. It hasn’t been an easy pill to swallow and some have already moved on, though time will tell if minds and hearts will change by then, and if not, then obviously we will know […]
GHOST IN THE SHELL Gets More Micro Teaser Action With New Footage And A Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
Unabashed moviegoers might otherwise take a liking to director Rupert Sanders’s treatment of the hit manga/anime property, Ghost In The Shell. Others, well…not so much; Issues still loom over the one casting decision that highlights the prevalent hitch over Hollywood whitewashing, further discouraging some from even giving the film a second or third thought. That discussion obviously carries some weight and it obviously doesn’t help that prolific anime auteur Oshii Mamoru who adapted Shiro Masumane’s original groundbreaking manga is also endorsing the big budget spectacle against naysayers who feel ignored on the topic of yellowface. Needless to say, this it isn’t deterring the PR people in the least from driving the conversation forward about the film from one news site to the next and the next and so on and on, etc. Having started with a series of five micro teasers aired on television during Mr. Robot back in late […]
Rupert Sanders’s GHOST IN THE SHELL Movie Teases Kusanagi, Self-Discovery And Aramaki At Point Blank Range
Alas, the first footage has finally arrived to promote the Paramount/Dreamworks release of the new sci-fi cyberpunk fantasy, Ghost In The Shell which opens in theaters on March 2017. And so with it, if you’ve been tuning in, returns the elephant in the room – the unnerving contention surrounding the casting with respect to its roots as a Japanese anime, and the ensuing topic of whitewashing Asian characters as per the usual practice of Hollywood. Is it okay? Of course not. That said, if director Rupert Sanders can still manage to fuse a story together for its first-time iteration for the big screen, it’ll be a win, even if it doesn’t fly in the faces of those in protest since there’s still a point to be made. Undoubtedly, lead actress Scarlett Johnansson, front and center as Major Motoko Kusanagi, is usually terrific at what she does on screen, and at […]
Fukushima Rila Joins GHOST IN THE SHELL
Fox It’s been more than a month since the official announcement of production in New Zealand for the forthcoming manga adaptation, Ghost In The Shell. The conversation surrounding it has been immensely heated regarding the topic of diversity in Hollywood and the catalyst, of course, is the casting of actress Scarlett Johansson in the lead role based on Shirow Masamune’s classic manga. Needless to say and regardless of anyone’s opinion, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures are moving forward on it with director Rupert Sanders at the helm, and a release date stamped for March 31, 2017. Thus, more updates may arise between now and then, while in the meantime we can now share the news via THR that The Wolverine and CW series Arrow co-star, actress Fukushima Rila has been cast in the film, details on her role pending. Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, “GHOST IN THE SHELL” follows […]
Scarlett Johansson Dons The Kusanagi Look As Cameras Roll For GHOST IN THE SHELL
And so it begins. The production of the upcoming live-action treatment of Ghost In The Shell has commenced in New Zealand. Accordingly, we have our first look at the lead character as portrayed by Marvel franchise actress Scarlett Johansson, and the controversy that will ultimately ensue over a Caucasian actress playing a prominently Japanese role. This will obviously go either way, although hopefully there will be more to this production as things move forward to give us some more optimism. A live-action push for this one was bound to happen eventually and now that it is, granted, we have a good actress on hand, let’s hope this will be enough for fans all around. Fingers crossed! HOLLYWOOD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures have announced that production is underway on “GHOST IN THE SHELL,” starring Scarlett Johansson (“AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON,” “LUCY”) and directed by Rupert Sanders (“SNOW WHITE AND […]
Sam Riley Joins Rupert Sanders's Manga/Anime Adap, GHOST IN THE SHELL
It’s no easy thing to deal with a Hollywood adaptation of a beloved Japanese animated property and such a case includes the latest developments surrounding Snow White & The Huntsman helmer Rupert Sanders’s latest, Ghost In The Shell. The brouhaha hasn’t really settled since actress Scarlett Johansson was cast for the lead role which happens to be Japanese with an associated name based on the classic anime, and with filming set for New Zealand, further casting announcements are being made that stray farther from the Japan setting in the preceding manga and anime. Thus, with Johansson and actor Pilou Asbæk joining in the role of “Borgen”, Variety confirms that actor Sam Riley has been cast to play the main villain. Dreamworks and Paramount are backing and producing the film for its release in March of 2017 with a script by Straight Outta Compton scribe Jonathan Herman. Production starts sometime between January […]
NZ Extras Casting Commences For Dreamworks's GHOST IN THE SHELL
Believe it or not, there’s a petition circulating online for the forthcoming production of Dreamworks’s adaptation of the hit manga and anime, Ghost In The Shell, to recast the lead role currently occupied by actress Scarlett Johansson. Time will tell how far that effort will go as many fans and folks remain keen and aware of the necessity of staying true to certain matters of source material depending on the property, and obviously the casting of a Caucasian actress in the role of a Japanese leading role would be a motivator for almost anyone in that effort. Nonetheless, the Marvel mainstay is still attached as production is set to begin in Wellington, New Zealand in January of 2016, and now a casting call announcement has gone viral via the Rachel Bullock Casting page on Facebook. Snow White And The Huntsman helmer Rupert Sanders is set to direct from a script […]
Director Rupert Sanders’s GHOST IN THE SHELL Gets A Release Date
Actress Scarlett Johansson‘s official listing for the lead role in Disney/Dreamworks’s forthcoming production of the live-action installation for Ghost In The Shell caused quite a stir among fans of the famed anime/manga property, including our own Khalil Barnett in recent weeks. Nevertheless, after at least two names were thrown in, one of those are now in the mix with Snow White And The Huntsman helmer Rupert Sanders to direct, and more updates are to come. As such, Deadline is forwarding the latest on the film’s dated release for April 14, 2017. Based on a script by William Wheeler, Johansson will play a semi-human cybernetically enhanced counter terrorist in a future world where society’s fixation on technological advancements have made it possible for most people to hack their way into virtually anything, anywhere, opening doors to all sorts of intrigue and corruption on a massive scale. In relative news, this summer’s upcoming release […]
GHOST IN THE SHELL Officially Adds Scarlett Johansson. Your Argument Is Still Invalid.
Variety is reporting that actress Scarlett Johansson has officially signed on to play the lead role in the forthcoming live-action adaptation of author Shirow Masumane’s highly acclaimed 1989 cyberpunk manga, Ghost In The Shell, from Dreamworks. Johansson was in talks as recently as last October after The Wolf Of Wall Street and Suicide Squad co-star Margot Robbie left. Based on a script by William Wheeler, Johansson will play a semi-human cybernetically enhanced counter terrorist in a future world where society’s fixation on technological advancements have made it possible for most people to hack their way into virtually anything, anywhere, opening doors to all sorts of intrigue and corruption on a massive scale. It’s almost a certainty that any and all development on this particular project will find a way to take the narrative and adjust it accordingly to reach an English-speaking audience while hopefully lending itself to all the right elements that […]
Scarlett Johansson May Star In GHOST IN THE SHELL. Your Argument Is Invalid.
In the weeks since it was announced that The Wolf Of Wall Street co-star, actress Margot Robbie was up for the main role in director Rupert Sanders‘ live-action foray into Shirow Masamune’s popular 1989 manga, Ghost In The Shell, the usual assortment of blowhard netizens commented with their usual skepticism behind a non-Asian actress portraying a relatively Asian role. This opinionated approach has often been highlit in social media, potentially drumming up sentiments pointed toward racism in Hollywood as some may feel that Asians and minorities alike are still getting the short end of the stick, and quite frankly, they’re not completely wrong. Nevertheless, movies serve their purpose of entertaining the masses of those who go to see them. As such, it is only a matter of time now before we find out who will open their wallets to Sanders‘ live-action vision for the hyper-kinetic cyberpunk saga and its 1995 […]
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