‘Crow’ reboot’: Luke Evans out, director Corin Hardy says he’s ‘going back to graphic novel’
Relativity and director Corin Hardy are searching for a new star for The Crow reboot, as Luke Evans joined Tom Hiddleston, Mark Wahlberg, James McAvoy, Bradley Cooper and others, by officially exited the project to pursue other projects, Evans’ publicist has confirmed to TheWrap. Hardy spoke about the project as Sundance, promising fans he’s “going back to the graphic novels.
The Wrap noted that “Evans was poised to play Eric Draven when F. Javier Gutierrez was attached to direct “The Crow,” but production was delayed and with no new start date in sight, Evans was forced to pass and move on.”
Director Corin Hardy had been given the job of helming the long discussed remake of The Crow, replacing Gutiérrez who had signed on to direct he next installment in The Ring franchise. Hardy’s debut feature, The Hallow, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and he spoke with Fangoria about going back to James O’Barr’s graphic novel as the source material.
“…what I can say for now is that I’m a huge, huge fan of both the first film and James O’Barr’s graphic novel. I was obsessed with The Crow when I was growing up. When I heard about the remake, what I thought could be very interesting today, 20 years later, especially with this whole Marvel Universe that’s happened, is that the Crow always stood as an outsider to me. I kind of felt he would be the right character for me if I got the chance to do it. And now that I have gotten the chance to do it, I’m very much going back to the graphic novel, particularly looking into the illustrations themselves as much as the story, and picking out all those beautiful ideas and details that haven’t really been used yet.”
Hardy goes on to add that he wants the remake to be “emotional and brutal” which aligns with O’Barr original tales.
“I also want to open the story up in such a way that the Crow is now part of a world where there are the Marvel movies and the Dark Knight movies. I intend it to be incredibly emotional and brutal, and all the things you’d want from a Crow film. I want to make a movie that I would have wanted to see, as a huge fan of The Crow.”
Fans will have to stay tuned for the casting of a new lead and a production time table as The Crow will be pushed back yet again.