“I really don’t get any joy”: Director Alex Proyas raises concern over ‘The Crow’ reboot

Washington [US]: Filmmaker Alex Proyas has long argued that his 1994 superhero film, ‘The Crow’ should not be rebooted out of respect for Brandon Lee, his actor who died in an on-set tragedy. After years of development, a ‘The Crow’ reboot is now ready for release, and Proyas is once again raising concerns, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

“I really don’t get any joy from seeing negativity about any fellow filmmakers work.

And I’m certain the cast and crew really had all good intentions, as we all do on any film. So it pains me to say any more on this topic, but I think the fan’s response speaks volumes,” Proyas wrote on Facebook, along with a link to an article noting that ‘The Crow’ reboot’s trailer received numerous dislikes on YouTube.

“THE CROW is not just a movie. Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss. It is his legacy. That’s how it should remain.”
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Proyas previously spoke at length on the subject in 2017, when Jason Momoa was set to feature in the revival. “I finished the film for Brandon – struggling through grief, along with the hugely supportive cast & crew who all loved Brandon, to complete it in his absence,” Proyas wrote.

“We were imbued with the strength of Brandon’s spirit and his inspiration. Not only Brandon’s wonderful work as an actor and a film-maker, but as a man, whose humanity had touched us.”

Bruce Lee’s son, Lee, was murdered by a prop gun on set in 1993 when he was 28 years old. Rupert Sanders, the director of the new ‘The Crow’, had stated that he hoped the picture will act as a memorial to Lee.

“Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous with The Crow and I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again. His soul is very much alive in this film. There’s a real fragility and beauty to his version of the Crow, and I think Bill feels like he is a successor to that,” Sanders told Vanity Fair in an article published last month.

Lionsgate is behind ‘The Crow’, which is due out June 7. ‘The Crow’ is based on James O’Barr’s comics, which debuted in 1989 and tells the story of a man who is murdered, alongside his fiancee, only to be resurrected to seek vengence. Multiple sequels followed the 1994 film, including The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000) and The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005), according to The Hollywood Reporter.