When we live in a world where a film like Footloose warrants a remake, why wouldn’t another classic and iconic film like The Crow get a reboot for a modern audience? That’s exactly what Relativity Media thinks, as they’re moving forward with a remake or “reinvention” of the 1994 comic book adaptation.

It looks like they’re moving so quickly towards this idea that a screenwriter has even been found. Alex Tse, who adapted Alan Moore’s Watchmen to screen with Zack Snyder is looking to reinvent the tale of the man who couldn’t die.

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.

Continue Reading →

Bradley Cooper is a hot commodity right now. Whether he’s exploring his potential in Limitless, being eyed to play The Flash in David Goyer’s upcoming film for Warner Bros., or taking on yet another blackout in The Hangover Part II, everyone seems to want a piece of him.

Now the action/comedy star is being eyed for the lead role in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s upcoming remake of The Crow. A bit darker than his normal role, but we can still see it happening. THR has the lowdown.

In the adaptation of the gritty black-and-white indie comic by artist James O’Barr, Cooper will play a rock musician who is murdered while trying to save his fiancée from thugs. He is resurrected by supernatural forces and seeks revenge. The role was originally played by Brandon Lee, who was killed by a freak accident during production in 1993.

Relativity is flying fast with Crow, with Fresnadillo only officially boarding the project a week ago. The Spanish director of 28 Weeks Later is said to have met with Cooper in Spain recently, where the two hit it off and shared a vision for the character and the film. Relativity would not confirm the talks but sources say Cooper, currently in theaters in Relativity’s hit thriller Limitless, is keen to board the project.

The film is set to start in the Fall, and could have a completely different take on the classic tale that gave teens an excuse to wear black leather and nail polish back in the 90s. Let’s hope Fresnadillo can still get Ernie Hudson to reprise his role.

One film that clearly doesn’t need a remake in my opinion is The Crow. The original is simply timeless in its execution and I feel remaking it will undermine that brilliance. However, sometimes you just can’t stop Hollywood from making a buck (or millions as the case may be).

io9 spoke with producer Ryan Kavanaugh about the upcoming remake film, which according to him is “definitely going to happen.”  Such a definitive statement makes me cringe a little. That said, I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve seen the film.

While no actors have been attached to the project as of ye,t Kavanaugh did state:

“We’re looking. We’re in discussions….I think it’s something cool, we’re approaching it differently. It’s really a whole relaunch of the franchise, much more of a dark superhero type.”

In addition, there was one comment Kavanaugh made that didn’t make much sense to me. That is his poignant statement, “It’s not a remake it’s literally a relaunch of the franchise.”  Is anyone else getting a little tired of Hollywood executives trying to avoid the dreaded “r” word?  Reboot.  Remake.  Relaunch.  Sorry guys, it’s all the same thing no matter how you try and spin it.

That aside, The Crow story in of itself is a good one. I hope this new film will do the original justice. My only concern is that there were a lot of sequels after the first movie and a TV show, all of which flopped. Here’s hoping the new Crow will return in much better form.