The Crow remake: a trailer shown at CinemaCon revealed more about the story

Last Updated on April 14, 2024

Lionsgate may have pushed the release date of The Crow remake back from June 7th to August 23rd yesterday, but they still promoted the film during their panel at CinemaCon today, showing attendees a new trailer. We don’t know when that trailer is going to be making its way online, but JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek was in attendance and reports that the new trailer reveals more about the film’s story.

Writing from the panel, Lance said attendees were told this version of The Crow is “a complete re-imagining that is not meant to compete with the original. The Lionsgate rep made mention how the original graphic novel is different than the beloved movie and made a point that the trailer was divisive, but they want to tell this story for a new generation.” As for what was shown in the new trailer, Lance writes, “An afterlife way-station where a man (David Bowles) gives him the rules. Reminds me of the Skull Cowboy (not in look, as Bowles looks like a normal guy) but in terms of explaining the rules and what needs to be done. Shelly Draven is heading ‘down,’ hinting she’s heading to a dark place and that if Eric wants her back, he must ‘Put the wrong things right.’ It’s here he gets the power of the Crow and he assignment on how to fix things and bring Shelly back. He heals slowly, and he feels everything. It’s a pain he must bear in order to go through the ‘mission’ of taking down the crime family who killed him and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs). There is a big focus, like in the first trailer, about how Eric will be going through a lot of pain, and be a very violent and aggressive character while getting revenge. It has that new action style that John Wick and similar movies have made popular. It had a bit more focus on the love between Shelly and Eric, and it looks like maybe the first act is their story. Meeting in a corrections facility, getting out and starting a life together. We don’t get any new info on the bad guys or exactly what transpired that ended both of their lives.“

Bill Skarsgard stars in The Crow remake as the new version of goth rocker Eric Draven. He is joined in the cast by singer FKA twigs, who takes on the role of Shelly Webster, the love of Eric’s life. Danny Huston (Yellowstone) plays the lead villain. Isabella Wei (1899), Laura Birn (A Walk Among the Tombstones), Sami Bouajila (The Bouncer), and Jordan Bolger (Peaky Blinders) are also in the cast. As Lance mentioned, David Bowles (Brothers) is, too.

Here’s the synopsis: Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgard) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.

The role of Eric Draven in the original film was, of course, played by Brandon Lee, who was killed on set in a tragic accident that was caused by a series of mistakes and oversights.

Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) directed this take on The Crow, working from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Zach Baylin (King Richard). The remake is produced by Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks, and Edward R. Pressman. Dan Farah serves as executive producer.

Based on the comic book series created by James O’Barr, the first version of The Crow was released in 1994. Following the production of three sequels (each about a different resurrected character), a remake was first announced in late 2008… then it had to make a long journey through development hell. Several screenwriters came and went, scripts were written and scrapped, studios went bankrupt, and directors like Stephen Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and Francisco Javier Gutiérrez were all involved along the way. Actors up for the lead role during the long development period included Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, Tom Hiddleston, Luke Evans, and Jack Huston.

Are you looking forward to The Crow remake? What do you think of the information that came out of CinemaCon? Let us know by leaving a comment below.