With the collapse of distributor Relativity Media came the news that one of its slated projects, the long-awaited reboot of The Crow, had suffered a similar fate. When two weeks ago the company announced its bankruptcy, the film’s status was described as “suspended.” Despite Relativity’s upbeat resolve to push on, it seemed as though the flick had finally gone the way of its lead character: to the grave.
That no longer seems to be the case, however, as the movie is still very much in development, according to comic creator James O’Barr. During a panel this last weekend at the Twin Tiers Comic-Con in New York, O’Barr allayed fears that Relativity’s financial crisis would prevent The Crow from moving forward:
“It’s still very much a live property. The company, Pressman Films, that owns The Crow film and TV rights, licensed it to a studio named Relativity. And Relativity made like a hundred bad movies and lost money so now they’re in financial trouble. So the producers are just going to take it to another studio if Relativity can’t get backing again. It’s going to happen.
I talked to Pressman Films a couple of weeks ago and they said within two or three weeks, we should have it placed at a new studio. Because the day Relativity announced that they were having financial problems, there were like a dozen other studios that called about getting The Crow property. it definitely will happen.”
How it will happen continues to be a mystery. Since 2011, the proposed production has been plagued by a number of development blows; losing several directors and failing to keep a grip on its lead. Both Luke Evans and Jack Huston were previously linked to the role of rock star Eric Draven, and both jumped ship after production kept getting pushed farther back.
One thing’s for certain, director Corin Hardy is still attached, which at least offers a sliver of stability should a new studio snap up The Crow. However, it’s uncertain whether Andrea Riseborough remains onboard as the villainous Top Dollar, whose casting is undoubtedly the most intriguing part of the project. Nevertheless, in light of O’Barr’s optimistic insight, we could be hearing some major news about this troubled reboot very soon indeed.
