Alex Proyas, director of the original 1994 film The Crow starring Brandon Lee, has spoken out against Rupert Sanders’ upcoming remake.
In a since-deleted Facebook post (via Variety), Proyas wrote, “I really don’t get any joy from seeing negativity about any fellow filmmakers work. And I’m certain the cast and crew really had all good intentions, as we all do on any film. So it pains me to say any more on this topic, but I think the fan’s response speaks volumes. [The Crow] is not just a movie. Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss. It is his legacy. That’s how it should remain.” Proyas’ post also contained a link to an article titled, “The Crow Remake Trailer Gets Staggering Amount of Dislikes on YouTube.”
Lee died on the set of The Crow after he was accidentally shot by a prop gun.
Proyas expressed similar sentiments in 2017, when Jason Momoa was attached to a planned reboot of The Crow. He said at the time, “I finished the film for Brandon – struggling through grief, along with the hugely supportive cast & crew who all loved Brandon, to complete it in his absence. We were imbued with the strength of Brandon’s spirit and his inspiration. Not only Brandon’s wonderful work as an actor and a film-maker, but as a man, whose humanity had touched us.”
Sanders’ upcoming remake of The Crow, starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs, is set to hit theaters on June 6th, 2024. In a previous interview with Vanity Fair, Sanders said he sought to pay tribute to Lee with his version of the film. Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous with The Crow and I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again. His soul is very much alive in this film. There’s a real fragility and beauty to his version of The Crow, and I think Bill [Skarsgård] feels like he is a successor to that.”
