Comics
Who Does “The Crow” Creator Want to Play Eric Draven?!
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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The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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