Bill Skarsgård, best known for playing Pennywise the Clown in the “It” franchise, and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter FKA Twigs are set to star in a reimagining of “The Crow,” the supernatural superhero film.
Skarsgård is stepping into the role of Eric Draven, the undead vigilante resurrected by an unearthly crow that was originally played by the late Brandon Lee in the 1994 film.
Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Ghost in the Shell”) will direct the reimagining.
“The Crow is beautiful, dark, poetic and sometimes disturbing,” Sanders said in a statement. “It is a story of love, loss, grief and revenge. It is a great honor to revisit James O’Barr’s iconic comic and reimagine The Crow as a foreboding voice of today.”
Zach Baylin, who was nominated for an Academy Award for scripting “King Richard,” is writing the screenplay.
Like the original, the story follows Eric Draven, a murder victim who returns from the dead, seeking vengeance on those who murdered him and his fiancée with the help of a mystical bird. However, rather than a recreation of Alex Proyas’ film, “The Crow” reboot is said to be a more faithful adaptation of the comic book source material by James O’Barr.
Lee died during the filming of a scene in which Eric was shot after witnessing the rape of his fiancé. Lee was 28 years old when he was accidentally wounded by a prop gun on set. The actor (and son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee) died after several hours of surgery on March 31, 1993.
Edward R. Pressman, who produced the original 1994 film, will produce alongside Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell and John Jencks. Production companies are Hassell Free Productions, Electric Shadow Company, Davis Films, and Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation, in association with 30WEST.
“The Crow has long held an important space in my life,” Pressman said in a statement. “I believe Rupert’s vision and the script he’s developed with Zach and our great partners is going to hit home for the ‘Crow’ fan base and invigorate a new generation to O’Barr’s story of eternal love and redemption. Rupert’s vision is full of pathos and I can’t wait to see ‘The Crow’ in action and on the screen.”
Hadida added, “Bringing to a new generation this iconic property is truly exciting. I am also grateful that we are now able to realize the vision of my late brother Samuel, who was deeply committed to bringing this wonderful story to the big screen and contemporary audiences.”
Hassell added: “When Rupert approached us with his vision for the film, we saw immediately it is an exhilarating, modern story for audiences unlike anything we’ve experienced yet in cinema. Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs are a perfect fit for that vision.”
CAA Media Finance is handling the reboot’s domestic distribution rights.
Skarsgård is repped by WME, Magnolia Entertainment and Hirsch Wallerstein. Twigs is repped by UTA. Sanders is repped by CAA, Grandview and Independent Talent Group.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.