Bill Skarsgård Calls Stepping into Brandon Lee’s ‘The Crow’ Role ‘Daunting’
The stars of ‘The Crow’ are set to unveil their new film!
On 20th August, Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, and director Rupert Sanders attended the world premiere at Village East by Angelika in New York City. This new version of ‘The Crow’ is a modern reimagining of the original graphic novel, which was famously adapted into a 1994 film starring the late Brandon Lee.
At the premiere, Skarsgård, 34, shared with PEOPLE that stepping into Lee’s role of Eric Draven was “daunting.” He acknowledged that while this 2024 version is a fresh take, there have been previous adaptations in film and TV, noting, “I’m not the first one to fill those shoes.”
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Reflecting on Lee’s iconic performance and the tragedy surrounding his death, Skarsgård explained, “For me, I approached this like I do any other job—’What’s this story? How can I do this story justice?’” He also clarified that because this iteration is “so different” from the original, Lee’s portrayal did not influence his approach. “We were not remaking that movie, and that was never the intention,” he said. “The original film and his performance are iconic and shouldn’t be tampered with.”
The film follows Eric (Skarsgård), who is resurrected after his murder to avenge the deaths of himself and his fiancée. The official synopsis states, “Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric seeks relentless revenge on their killers, moving between the worlds of the living and the dead to right the wrongs.”
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Directed by Rupert Sanders, the new ‘The Crow’ also features Danny Huston, Isabella Wei, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jordan Bolger. Screenwriters Zach Baylin and William Schneider crafted the script, with producers including Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks, and the late Samuel Hadida and Ed Pressman.
This film arrives 30 years after the original 1994 release, which was marked by tragedy following Brandon Lee’s accidental death on set. The production company was not charged in connection with his death, and the film was completed and released in May 1994. Both the 1994 movie and the new version are based on James O’Barr’s 1989 graphic novel.
Image Courtesy: People
Director Sanders told Vanity Fair in February that Lee’s “soul is very much alive in this film,” and that the “terrible tragedy” was a constant consideration during production. Sanders added, “Brandon was an original voice and will always be synonymous with ‘The Crow’. I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back.”
‘The Crow’ hits theaters on 23rd August.
–Farheen Ali
