The Crow is a 2024 gothic supernatural superhero film serving as a reboot and the fifth installment overall in The Crow film series based on the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr. It was directed by Rupert Sanders from a screenplay by Zach Baylin and William Schneider. A co-production between France, the United States and the United Kingdom, the film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric / The Crow, a man who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his girlfriend, played by FKA Twigs.
The film entered development in December 2008, with Stephen Norrington stating that he would write and direct a "reinvention" of The Crow. It entered a complicated production process with various directors, screenwriters, and cast members attached at various points. Filmmakers Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, F. Javier Gutiérrez, and Corin Hardy were initially signed to direct while Bradley Cooper, Luke Evans, Jack Huston, and Jason Momoa were all cast as Eric during various points in development. Skarsgård was announced as Eric in April 2022, along with Sanders as director. Filming began in July, occurring in Prague and Penzing near Munich.
The Crow had its world premiere in New York City on August 20, 2024, and was released in France on August 21 by Metropolitan Filmexport, and in the United States and United Kingdom on August 23 by Lionsgate and Entertainment Film Distributors respectively. It received negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, grossing $24.1 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million.
Plot Eric, an addict with a troubled childhood, struggles with life and nightmares at a rehabilitation center. Shelly, a musician with similar issues, receives a video on her cell phone from her friend Zadie that incriminates Vincent Roeg, a crime lord posing as a musical aristocrat. Choosing to save the video, despite knowing that possessing it would lead to her death, Shelly attempts to go into hiding but is immediately pursued by Roeg's henchmen. They break their pursuit when Shelly is arrested for drug possession.
Zadie is captured and interrogated by Roeg. He reveals that, centuries earlier, he had made a pact with the Devil to send innocent souls to Hell in exchange for eternal life. He forces Zadie to kill herself by whispering incantations in her ear. Shelly is sent to the same rehab center where Eric is situated. The two become smitten with each other and bond over time. When Marion, Roeg's right-hand woman, suddenly appears at the institution, Shelly panics and convinces Eric to help her escape. They take refuge in the vacant house of one of Shelly's friends, and the two quickly fall in love and attempt to live a carefree life together, but are soon found by Roeg's men and murdered.
Eric awakens in a purgatory-like rail yard where Kronos, a spirit guide, explains that Eric will have to kill Roeg to be reunited with Shelly. Revived, Eric discovers that he possesses the ability to heal from injuries, but can still be hurt or killed. He first kills Detective Milch, a corrupt cop on Roeg's payroll, and attempts to force another hitman, Lex, to give up names, but winds up killing him. Eric visits Sophia, Shelly's mother, who was present with Marion at the rehab center. Sophia reveals that she made a deal with Roeg: wealth in exchange for Shelly's soul. After Eric leaves, Roeg visits Sophia to inquire about Eric but forces her to jump off the roof when she revealed she regretted their deal. Eric meets with Shelly's friend, Chance, who presents him Shelly's phone with the incriminating video revealing that Roeg had previously compelled Shelly to kill a woman. Roeg learns of Eric's supernatural abilities and orders Marion to capture him alive in order to seize Eric's powers. Suddenly doubting his love for Shelly, Eric loses his ability to heal and is again killed by Roeg's enforcer, Wickham, who was supposed to take him alive, and Chance was killed too. Returned to the afterlife, Kronos warned Eric that their love had to be pure and called it off, so Eric makes a deal with Kronos to take Shelly's place in Hell in exchange for another chance to kill Roeg. The crows agreed as Kronos bestowed Eric with Black Blood, giving Eric immense power and the ability to move between worlds.
Eric reawakens and kills off Wickham and his hit team, he then tracks Marion to an opera house, savagely killing all of Roeg's men to reach her. Marion reluctantly discloses Roeg's location before Eric decapitates her and her bodyguard, Roman. Eric then interrupts the operas final bow as he tosses their heads from the stage into the audience. Eric finally reaches Roeg's estate where Roeg subdues Eric and attempts to steal his powers before Eric transports them both to the afterlife, where he quickly finishes Roeg and saves Shelly's soul.
After a brief reunion between the lovers, Shelly is revived on the night of their deaths and mourns for Eric after Kronos, disguised as a medic, tells her that he gave his life for her. Eric accepts his fate, content in his belief that their souls will one day find each other again.
Cast Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven / The Crow Solo Uniacke as Young Eric FKA Twigs as Shelly Webster, Eric's girlfriend Danny Huston as Vincent Roeg, a crime lord and a sorcerer Josette Simon as Sophia Webster, Shelly's mother Laura Birn as Marion, Roeg's right-hand woman Trigga as Lex, an enforcer and driver working for Roeg Karel Dobrý as Roman, a hitman and Marion's bodyguard David Bowles as Wickham, an enforcer working for Roeg Sami Bouajila as Kronos, a spirit that guides Eric in his mission Isabella Wei as Zadie, Shelly's friend Jordan Bolger as Chance, a tattoo artist and friend of Eric and Shelly Dukagjin Podrimaj as Detective Milch, a corrupt cop working for Roeg
Production Development Stephen Norrington and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo Three years after the franchise's last entry, the direct-to-video film The Crow: Wicked Prayer, producer Edward R. Pressman and Relativity Media decided on a revitalization of the series; hiring Stephen Norrington to write and direct in December 2008. The film was to be Norrington's first directorial effort after 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Alex Proyas, director of the original film, was quick to protest the film upon its announcement, and continued to criticize further attempts at remaking The Crow. In a statement to Variety, Norrington said "Whereas Alex Proyas' original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style". Norrington submitted his script by October 2009, which was warmly received by the studio. The next month, producer Ryan Kavanaugh expressed enthusiasm over the project, and called it a "relaunch of the franchise". Norrington's vision explored the Crow's mythology and would not feature the character of Eric Draven. Robert Stromberg was enlisted for production design while location scouting was underway in June 2010. Production was scheduled for a summer 2010 start. Norrington looked to film in the American Southwest as well as Detroit or Philadelphia. By July, Australian musician Nick Cave was handling rewrites. Mark Wahlberg was offered the film's title role in October; the same month Norrington stepped out of the project, citing creative differences. The Crow suffered another setback when Wahlberg backed out of the film the following month.
By February 2011, negotiations started with Before the Fall filmmaker F. Javier Gutiérrez and 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo to helm the project. Fresnadillo was officially on board by April, now joined by Enrique Lopez Lavigne of Apaches Entertainment and series mainstay Jeff Most producing. Norrington and Cave's script was expected to be discarded in favor of a page one rewrite. The film, now billed as a remake, began to pick up steam. Talks with Bradley Cooper began in earnest that same month, while production was slated to begin in the fall. Fresnadillo's adaptation would have cost an estimated $70 million.
Legal issues and further developments at Relativity Media Days after Fresnadillo's hiring, Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein sued Relativity Media, claiming the studio breached a 2009 contract by shopping the film to other distributors. The Weinsteins alleged their studio, The Weinstein Company, held the remake's worldwide distribution rights. Relativity Media claimed not only did the Weinsteins "botch" the release of Nine, but they also "refused to pay Relativity the money owed to it under the agreements with the parties," which led Relativity Media to seek out a new distributor. In June 2011, Relativity Media issued a statement declaring victory over The Weinstein Company. That same month, Watchmen scribe Alex Tse was writing the script. Fresnadillo moved onto developing a Highlander remake, and Cooper would soon follow. With Cooper gone, the studio considered Mark Wahlberg and Channing Tatum for Eric.
The Weinstein Company and Relativity Media reached a settlement in January 2012, agreeing to "work on the film together as planned.” F. Javier Gutiérrez signed on to direct, while Jesse Wigutow was scripting new pages. Gutiérrez wanted to avoid doing a direct remake of 1994 adaptation, believing it to be "perfect". Instead the director planned for a "page-for-page adaptation" of the comic book. Gutiérrez felt the only way to bring the soul of the comic book was to involve its creator James O'Barr with the film. O'Barr was publicly against remaking the film, saying "Brandon Lee was a friend, and I'd never do anything to hurt his legacy". However, O'Barr was won over by Gutiérrez's vision and boarded the film as a creative consultant. Cliff Dorfman, a Crow "purist", was drafting a new screenplay from the ground up under Gutiérrez's supervision. Producer Robbie Brenner described Dorfman's screenplay as "grounded" and "character driven". Filming was aiming to begin in early 2014. James McAvoy and Tom Hiddleston were early contenders to play Eric Draven. Early talks with Hiddleston started in April 2013, with the actor performing his own makeup test after meeting with the project's producers. However, Mike Fleming Jr. at Deadline Hollywood described the reporting of Hiddleston's involvement as "a simple conversation has been overhyped and reported like it was going to happen," and indicated that Alexander Skarsgard was the top choice to play Draven. In May, Luke Evans was cast as Eric. Meanwhile, Gutiérrez was in the midst of casting Forest Whitaker as the film's villain and courting production designer Bo Welch, effects artist Rick Baker, musician Atticus Ross and makeup designer Bill Corso. By the summer, another lawsuit struck the project when producer Jeff Most sued Pressman for allegedly breaching his pay-or-play deal in 2011.
Producers briefly considered Kristen Stewart as Shelly, and by November 2013, Norman Reedus was up for a role. Location scouting was taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana and later in the United Kingdom. When it became clear that development was at a standstill, Gutiérrez left The Crow in favor of Rings in July 2014. Dorfman and O'Barr remained on board, eventually collaborating on further revisions of the script. Despite Gutiérrez's departure, Pressman reaffirmed that production was still on track for spring 2015.