Lionsgate has released a new poster for The Crow, giving fans yet another new look at Bill Skarsgård’s Eric Draven. The character, who rises from the dead to avenge his and his girlfriend’s murder, is the central protagonist of the film and was previously brought to the screen by Brandon Lee, the son of Hollywood icon Bruce Lee. Early looks at Skarsgård’s take on the character have been divisive, with some fans ready to see what a grittier, more comics-accurate take on the story will be like and others mocking his appearance. So far, filmmaker Rupert Sanders hasn’t been too defensive, seemingly waiting to see whether the movie will speak for itself upon release.
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The poster features a clear, full-body shot of The Crow, flanked by an army of crows looking like a cape (or part of his jacket, if you prefer). You can see it below.
The Crow has been one of the most troubled productions in recent memory, trading off directors, stars, and even studios numerous times over the life of its development and production. The movie stars Skarsgård (IT), singer-songwriter FKA twigs (Honeyboy), and Danny Huston (Succession) and is reportedly a full restart of the story, meaning that it’s likely adapting the same set of comics as the first The Crow movie, which was released in 1994.
That film was a huge success, with a hit soundtrack and an aesthetic that was five years ahead of its time. The movie spawned three sequels, The Crow: City of Angels (1996); The Crow: Salvation (2000); and The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005), although it pretty quickly became a direct-to-DVD series.
The revived The Crow has gone through a number of directors, stars, and even studios in the last decade in its long and troubled road to the big screen. Even after news came out that the movie had wrapped production, it didn’t seem like a real thing that people would be actually able to watch.
The Crow is directed by Rupert Sanders (Foundation, Ghost in the Shell, Snow White and The Huntsman) and written by Zach Baylin (King Richard, upcoming Creed III). Producers are Molly Hassell (Braven, Terminal), Victor Hadida (Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises), John Jencks (Honest Thief, Guns Akimbo), and Edward R. Pressman (American Psycho, The Crow, Wall Street).
The Crow will be in theaters on August 23rd.
