The 1994 film The Crow will always be remembered because of the tragic death of its star, Brandon Lee, during the film’s production. The movie has gone on to achieve a cult status among fans, in large part because of the terrible accident. Recent years have seen an ongoing attempt to remake the movie, but the original director of The Crow really wishes they would stop, as any remake would surely have an impact on the legacy of the original.
Alex Proyas is currently back in theaters with his most recent directorial effort, Gods of Egypt. Collider recently sat down with him and asked him about both his current and earlier work including The Crow, the film that brought Proyas into a national spotlight. When asked about the continuing efforts to produce a remake, Proyas gave a very honest assessment. He feels that the original movie should be allowed to stand in memory of Brandon Lee.
I personally feel like it’s kind of unnecessary. I’ve said this many times, I’ve completed the original movie to honor Brandon and that’s the sole reason I did it. I’m happy I did it for that reason. I sort of feel like it’s his legacy and I personally don’t have a lot of time for people trying to reignite that movie in other ways. So you know, to me, this is one situation where it would be nice if Hollywood kind of left it alone and let it remain Brandon Lee’s legacy.
The attempted remake of The Crow has been going on for years and while the idea isn’t dead, the difficulty that the movie has had getting made might give one pause to wonder if Alex Proyas is on to something. The project has gone through multiple directors as well as several lead actors who have jumped in, and then out, of the film due to the ongoing delay. Relativity Media was sued over the question of whether they had the right to even make a Crow movie, and then they went through bankruptcy. As recently as six months ago, the original creator of The Crow, James O’Barr, swears that the movie is still happening but with everything that has happened you’ll forgive fans if they’re a little skeptical. Add to that the fact that many fans have a strong memory of the original and it’s unlikely that Alex Proyas is the only one who doesn’t want to see this movie.
Should The Crow remake be dropped out of respect for Brandon Lee, or is it time to remake the dark revenge story? They made several terrible sequels to the original without Lee, so is this really any different as far as "legacy" is considered? Let us know what you think.
