Lionsgate has acquired the newest reboot effort from director Rupert Sanders (Ghost In The Shell) with The Crow, featuring Bill Skarsgård (John Wick: Chapter 4) in the lead role. Danny Huston (Marlowe) and critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter FKA twigs (Honeyboy) also star in the Prague-shot film along with Laura Birn (Foundation), Sami Bouajila (A Son), and Jordan Bolger (The Woman King).
Zach Baylin (King Richard) and Will Schneider wrote the script based on the original graphic novel by James O’Barr, whose 1994 Miramax release from director Alex Proyas centered on musician Eric Draven, brought back from the dead to avenge himself and his fiancé a year after their murder on Devil’s Night. Actor Brandon Lee, son of martial arts and screen legend Bruce Lee, was 28 when he landed the title role in the months leading up to his accidental death on the Wilmington, North Carolina set in Spring 1993.
As Deadline’s Andreas Wiseman notes, the new revamp from Sanders was nabbed by the studio in an eight-figure deal amid the Toronto International Film Festival’s market this month; The Toronto festival is where actor Skarsgård’s latest, Mortiz Mohr’s Boy Kills World, will enjoy its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section beginning this Saturday.
Lionsgate’s Jon Biondo oversaw the deal on The Crow with CAA Media Finance handling domestic rights. FilmNation is selling internationally.
“We appreciate what the Crow character and original movie mean to legions of fans and believe this new film will offer audiences an authentic and visceral reinterpretation of its emotional power and mythology,” said Lionsgate’s EVP Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Charlotte Koh, who will oversee for the indie-major. “To work with a creative team led by Rupert’s unparalleled visual style and storytelling and with a producing team who have made some of the most popular and impactful films of the last several decades is a true privilege.”
Added the producers in a joint statement: “The original film left an indelible mark on our culture that lives on. We are thrilled to bring a new adaptation for today’s audiences that respects this legacy. Rupert has masterfully brought new dimensions to create a contemporary universe for this timeless saga of undying love, and we can’t wait to share this vision with film audiences.”
Read more at Deadline.
