In November of last year, we reported that the long-planned remake of The Crow was set and ready to go. The word from Relativity was that the reboot would begin principal photography in the back half of this year. Now, that is seeming less and less likely, as the saga continues to unfold.
Today, Wicked Horror has learned that Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation (the producer of The Crow 1994) has filed papers in an attempt to shut down any remake, sequel, or prequel prospects that Relativity may have designs upon due to what is being alleged as a breach of contract.
Seven years ago, Pressman inked a deal with Relativity that gave the studio the use of the property and the option to make a total of three films. Relativity exercised the option in 2014, which started the clock ticking and left them with three years to commence principal photography on the project, lest the rights should revert back to Pressman.
Pressman was a vocal supporter of Corin Hardy (The Hallow) helming the reboot and it seems that Relativity’s Dana Brunetti’s decision to part ways with the director did not sit well with him. Pressman made the following statement in the court documents, “[Hardy] is known for his visual flair, having a penchant for horror and dark subject matter. The parties believed that Mr. Hardy was particularly suited to reinvigorate The Crow, which is based on a dark tale of revenge told originally in graphic novel form.”
Pressman alleges in his suit that the decision to remove Hardy from the project was made before Brunetti had met with him or even officially stepped into his role as head of production. Pressman also suggests that he was never consulted and viewed this as a breach of contract. As we previously mentioned, Pressman is attempting to block any attempts on behalf of Relativity to move forward on this project or any motion picture related to The Crow.
Relativity issued the following statement to THR: “With Dana [Brunetti] coming aboard, we are giving him full creative rein. We want him to be able to reboot The Crow under his vision and guidance. We are optimistic he will create the best package for such an iconic franchise.”
The project currently does not have a star attached. Jack Huston was on board to headline at one point but backed out last year. Prior to that, Luke Evans was on board to star but that didn’t pan out, either.
The production has already had its fair share of woes, losing two different actors who were attached to play the lead role, followed by Relativity’s financial difficulties. When you add to that Relativity’s controversial decision to part ways with Corin Hardy and the subsequent court case, the prospect of this reboot ever seeing the light of day is pretty bleak.
