Lionsgate has released the official trailer for The Crow, the modern reimagining scheduled to open in theaters on June 7, 2024. Bill Skarsgård (John Wick: Chapter 4, IT films) and FKA twigs star in The Crow, based on the graphic novel by James O’Barr.
The new film was directed by Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell, Snow White and the Huntsman) from a script by Zach Baylin and William Schneider. The producers are Edward R. Pressman, Samuel Hadida, Victor Hadida, John Jencks, and Molly Hassell.
In the movie, soulmates Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. The movie also stars Danny Huston.
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.
Four films have been made in The Crow franchise. The 1994 original was directed by Alex Proyas and starred Brandon Lee, who tragically died on set.
The original was followed by three less successful movies, including The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000), and The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005). Only City of Angels received a full theatrical release, and the latter two went directly to video.
“I was a huge fan of the original film growing up as a kid and was so honored to take on the role of Eric Draven,” said Skarsgård. “But really, what drew me to it was what Rupert Sanders wanted to do with it. He wanted to completely reimagine the story and the character and tailor it towards a modern audience.
“It’s a character that I know many revere and have a strong connection to – he is unlike any I’ve ever taken on before. Working with the remarkably talented FKA Twigs was magical. I felt a responsibility to Eric’s story and endeavored to stay true to the spirit of the source material; I can’t wait for the world to see the film, and [I] hope it resonates with audiences as strongly as it did with those of us involved.”
“I am so thrilled to be in The Crow alongside the talented Bill Skarsgård and extraordinary director Rupert Sanders,” added FKA twigs. “The love Bill and I share on screen is effortless and indicative of the authenticity and ease that I dreamed of bringing to the role of Shelley.
“Eric and Shelley’s unbreakable unity is so profound and beautiful, something I hope we all feel at least once as part of the human experience. I am so excited that the trailer is being unveiled and even more excited to have the world see the film this summer.”
Director Rupert Sanders also commented on his new film: “The Crow is the original anti-superhero. His story is about tragic loss, about dealing with the pain of everything that comes with losing someone you love, something that all of us have or will encounter at some point in our lives. It is about the dark shadow of grief, about what we would do when something so meaningful is taken from us.
“The original graphic novel is deeply meaningful for so many, and the character, his journey, and his need for revenge [have] inspired a canon of films for the last three decades. Our version goes back to that graphic novel by James O’Barr, who I had the honor of meeting shortly before production, and explores the love story as the primary drive for our film.”
Sanders continued: “What Alex Proyas did with the Crow in 1994 – and Brandon Lee’s iconic embodiment of that character – will forever impact that generation and others to follow. It was a culture-defining film that is beloved to this day and has inspired many other iterations both inside and outside the Crow Universe.
“That film sparked a fire with the youth of that day, a youth who grew up on hard, alternative rock, punk, and metal, that binged on MTV and zines. It held a mirror to that generation in the aesthetic of the film, its smoky, rain-drenched streets, stylized and subverted sets, its leather-clad hero, and chain-wielding villains. It expressed its time in a very specific, music-driven vision that spoke to a young audience who had never been spoken to in that way. It became a cult classic.
“Our interpretation of James’ work also reflects this young generation, whose tastes and references have changed so dramatically from the original film. Hopefully it speaks to them in their language, with their style and music and hopefully will get them to discover Alex Proyas’ film and James O’Barr’s graphic novel, bringing a new audience to the source material.
“For this story is as universal as an epic poem or Greek myth; it deals with the very primal, naturalistic emotions of love, grief, and rage, and it also deals with the supernatural and physiological imaginings of heaven and hell, the dead and the undead.
“It explores the great positive force of love and the great negative force of rage and hate that stands in its shadow; it asks what we would do, but also what we would have become by doing so. When Eric slumps to the floor, covered in the blood of the slain, we look deep into his eyes, and he asks us…why?
“I am very pleased to have worked with two young actors whose performances are the backbone of this film. Bill Skarsgard is so committed and vulnerable, monstrously violent and delicately tender. He brings so many layers to the complex emotion of a man consumed with so much love and hate but also a man who will do anything for the woman he loves.
“He fights, numb with pain and grief, killing and maiming for the one he loves…but to what end? FKA Twigs brings the same unique and wondrous talent that she does to her entire volume of work, and her performance and the vacuum created by her absence undoubtedly gives reason for this Crow to be born.”
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.