Many criticize the 'horrible' character design in Rupert Sanders' upcoming film for not staying true to the original aesthetics of the comic books and the 1994 movie.
- Feb 29, 2024
AceShowbiz - The first look at "The Crow" remake starring Bill Skarsgard has been released online, much to fans' dismay. After the photos made their way out via social media, many criticized the "horrible" character design in Rupert Sanders' upcoming film.
One of the pictures, which were first unveiled by Vanity Fair, shows Skarsgard as Eric Draven a.k.a. the titular character baring his abs and tattoo-clad body. He is featured alongside FKA twigs, who portrays Eric's fiancee Shelly Webster in two other images.
Instead of giving Skarsgard's version long hair and white face makeup like Brandon Lee's version in the original film, the new iteration has sorta cartoonish tattoos, including the word "Lullaby" written above his right eyebrow. This particular trait reminds fans of Jared Leto's Joker in"Suicide Squad", albeit without the colorful hair.
"I want to watch The Crow, not another version of Jared Leto as the Joker from Suicide Squad. Horrible character design," one person commented on the first-look photos. Agreeing, a second X user said, "Kneejerk first thoughts... I don't really know! I have complete faith in Bill Skarsgard devouring the role of Eric Draven and giving us something fresh & exciting, but I'm not immediately sold on the character design. Skarsgard looks great under that makeup, either way!"
"It REALLY doesn't need to be this edgy. We already have Jared Leto...and we didn't even want that," a third person echoed the sentiment. Someone mocked the film, "How you gonna go from Brandon Lee to this Jared Leto Joker style bulls**t."
"Oh this doesn't look right at all. The Crow needs to have a certain aesthetic," one other fan of the comic books argued. Someone else added, "you obviously can't come to any conclusion with a few stills from a film. but... *gulp* #TheCrow."
Others, meanwhile, put a lot of faith in Skarsgard and would like to give him a chance to show his performance as the character before judging the movie. "i'm seeing so much bill hate on my timeline. it's such a bummer. he is such a fantastic actor. i trust him & will be seated for #thecrow," a fan penned on the platform which was previously known as Twitter.
Someone else similarly said, "I'm going to give The Crow remake a chance. Bill Skarsgard is a dedicated performer who puts in a lot of effort. Although Brandon Lee's performance in the original movie is unbeatable, if a remake had to be made, I'm glad it's an actor who is passionate about his craft."
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Sanders said his version of The Crow is drawn not from the James O'Barr source-material comic book series, nor tragic star Lee's take on the character in Alex Proyas' original film. Instead, the director considered Skarsgard's natural assets and mixed them with his own past.
"I think the beauty of Bill is that he has a disturbing beauty, and as he transforms through his loss he becomes this thing that even he can't control," he explained. "It's that famous line: 'Whoever fights monsters must be careful that they don't become one.' "
"That look was me in the '90s when we were squat-raving in London, [mixed with some modern influences] like Post Malone and Lil Peep. I hope people who are 19 today look at him and go, 'That guy is us,' " he shared, adding that this image is from "the moment we realize bad things are coming."
"The Crow" remake is described as "a modern reimagining" of O'Barr's graphic novels. The official synopsis reads, "Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgard) and Shelly Webster (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 movie, which also stars Danny Huston, Isabella Wei, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila and Jordan Bolger, is scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on June 7.
