For some time now, The Crow remake has been in trouble. Even before Relativity Media filed for bankruptcy, the film couldn’t keep an actor or creative tied down for too long before they departed. Now, another wrinkle has developed. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation, which produced the 1994 cult adaptation of the comic, have filed papers in court in order to deny Relativity any sequel, prequel, or remake rights to the film.
The outlet goes on to reveal that Pressman first optioned the rights to Relativity in 2009 which was extended in 2014 and gave the studio three years to start production on a film. Things almost came close a number of times, most recently with The Hallow director Corin Hardy who was retained with a holding deal to direct the movie. Pressman alleges that once Dana Brunetti came on board to run Relativity Media earlier this year, he fired Hardy from the project, violating the initial agreement regarding The Crow film rights.
What does this mean for the future of The Crow? It’s unclear at the time, but no feature film has been as adamant about returning to the big screen as this series. Perhaps like Eric Draven, it will return from the darkness.
The Crow was originally published as a four issue miniseries in 1989. Alex Proyas directed the 1994 film based on the series which starred Brandon Lee. Tragically, Lee died in an accident during production. However, the role was recast for several sequels and even a short-lived television series. In the comics, too, O’Barr’s character has been sequelized in quite a few different stories and formats.
