It seems bizarre that Relativity is having such problems in getting a new The Crow off the ground.
Just in the past few months a new writer was brought onboard, and Luke Evans exited the project as the title character. It’s basically back at square one with a new director, Corin Hardy, who took Sundance by storm with his The Hallow.
Blastr hosted a Saturday night panel at Wizard World Madison Comic Con in which “The Crow” creator James O’Barr addressed the “elephant in the room” that is the newly revealed budget problems and Evans’ departure from the film in late January.
The big news is that O’Barr revealed that he’s been championing “Being Human’s” Sam Witwer for the lead role of Eric Draven.
The very candid O’Barr added that money issues were a big reason why filming hadn’t begun yet. He said he just very recently discovered that the film would begin rolling with a “$20 million debit” off the top due to the years spent in preproduction. For a film he wants to be small, gritty and like an arthouse flick, that’s a big chunk of change to lose right off the top.
But O’Barr maintains hope for The Crow. Corin Hardy, whose first film, The Hallow, earned raves at this year’s Sundance, is currently attached to direct. And O’Barr is pushing hard for actor Sam Witwer to play lead Eric Draven.
O’Barr said he has been in communication with Witwer for some time and thinks the actor has the look and ability to portray the protagonist from his comic. While he hasn’t headlined a film thus far, Witwer has developed a strong resume on television. He was a lead for four seasons on Syfy’s Being Human and delivered memorable perfomances as recurring characters on Battlestar Galactica and Smallville. O’Barr specifically mentioned his work on Frank Darabont’s The Mist and Dexter as examples of the actor’s ability to slip into any character.
“The Crow” is about a murdered man who comes back for revenge, which was first brought to the screen by director Alex Proyas and the late actor Brandon Lee.
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