Director Alex Proyas Calls ‘The Crow’ Remake “Unnecessary”
The past week must’ve been rough for directorAlex Proyas. His career has had its ups and downs, includinghis scrappedadaptation ofParadise Lost, but these last few days, in particular, haven’t been great. Critics rippedGods of Egyptapart and audiences didn’t show up for the pricey adventure movie.
Following the disastrous opening, Proyas then wrote aFacebook postcriticizing reviewers of his latest, making both fair and unfair points. As the director mentioned, even two of his most beloved movies,Dark CityandThe Crow, weren’t huge hits with critics during their theatrical releases. The latter even became a big enough hit that it has been gearing up for a remake for years — which Proyas would rather not see happen.
Check out theGods of Egyptdirector’s thoughts on the remake below.
The Crowremake has been delayed again and again, losing start dates, actors, and directors. Last summer, the film wasdelayeddue to Relativity’s Bankruptcy. Based onJames O’Barr’s graphic novel, we heard theCorin Hardy-directed (The Hallows) remakewould shootthis month, but after actorJack Huston’s (Boardwalk Empire) departure, a replacement for the lead role has yet to be found.
Speaking withCollider, the outlet asked the director for his thoughts on the remake:
You know, I’ve moved on and I just feel like it’s… I personally feel like it’s kind of unnecessary. I’ve said this many times, I’ve completed the original movie to honor Brandon and that’s the sole reason I did it. I’m happy I did it for that reason. I sort of feel like it’s his legacy and I personally don’t have a lot of time for people trying to reignite that movie in other ways. So you know, to me, this is one situation where it would be nice if Hollywood kind of left it alone and let it remain Brandon Lee’s legacy. I know every few years you hear about it a remake and it never really comes to fruition.
Proyas' original film holds up remarkably well, but that’ll never be enough to stop a remake. Although it’d be nice if “Hollywood” letThe Crowremain Brandon Lee’s legacy, they’ve already made plenty of crappy direct-to-DVD sequels. A big-screen remake directed by Corin Hardy can’t get much worse than those sequels, right? Hardy exhibited a fine eye for atmosphere inThe Hallows, so we can at least expect a remake more refined thanThe Crowfilms that followed Poryas' original adaptation.
Also, for all of youGods of Egyptfans out there, the director shared another interesting bit of news with Collider: an early cut, not an assembly cut, was three hours long. The director is hoping to release a director’s cut one day, but a lot of the special effects were left unfinished, due to time and budget restraints. I’ve yet to see the film, but if I was going to, I’d certainly much rather see Proyas' original cut.
