Jack Huston confirmed for The Crow; new details & casting revealed

Last Updated on July 22, 2021

A few weeks back we learned that "Boardwalk Empire" star Jack Huston was the latest name to be circling the role of Eric in Corin Hardy's THE CROW reboot, and now Dread Central is reporting that it is indeed a done deal, with THE CROW creator James O'Barr stating that “Jack Huston has definitely been cast,” that he was “really happy with that choice,” and that the film “will shoot in a couple of months.”

But that's not all the casting news for THE CROW that hit over the weekend. O'Barr took part in a panel at The Lexington Comic and Toy Convention where he shared a lot of new details. Among those details was word that the role of Shelly, Eric’s deceased girlfriend who is featured prominently in flashbacks in both the graphic novel and Alex Proyas' 1994 film, will be played by Jessica Brown Findlay of “Downton Abbey” fame.

O’Barr also stated that the bulk of the cast will be British, and that the new film will shoot in Belgium. He also stated that, as in the graphic novel, the actual bird that accompanies Eric throughout the tale will speak to him.  O’Barr mentioned that the crow might be brought to life by way of stop-motion.

As with the original film, O’Barr has a say in the choice of soundtrack selections, and shared that there are several newer bands being looked at to contribute and the chosen artists will write new songs specifically for the film.  In addition, there will be some actual Joy Division songs in the movie, as with the graphic novel it’s based on.

O’Barr stated that the hopes are that the new film will be successful so that a new franchise will emerge to tackle different characters in a variety of settings and time period,and that a sequel would feature a very punk, Joan Jett-like female Crow as the lead.

THE CROW, which was first brought to the screen by director Alex Proyas and the late actor Brandon Lee, is about a murdered man who comes back for revenge. Pretty simple, this one, but it will be interesting to see what Hardy brings to the tale.

THE CROW is slated for a spring production start with a script by Cliff Dorfman. Gutierrez will be exec producer and O’Barr a consultant. Joining Pressman as producers are Kevin Misher, Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh, Jeff Most (who produced the original with Pressman), and Jeff Waxman. Tucker Tooley, Bob and Harvey Weinstein and Dan Farah are exec producers.

Jessica Brown Findlay