Upcoming anti-superhero movie The Crow finally has its first trailer ahead of its release in theaters on June 7.
This reimagining of the graphic novel by James O’Barr stars Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise in the It films) as Eric Draven, aka The Crow. The trailer shows the emergence of Draven’s powers after the savage death of his love, Shelley, played by British singer, songwriter, and dancer FKA Twigs.
Across multiple points in the trailer we see the undead vigilante taking bullet after bullet, only to soldier on during his revenge mission. This one’s a gory affair, with plenty of blood and even an exploding head.
Here’s the official blurb: “Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) 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.”
To coincide with the release of the trailer, Skarsgård provided a note to press:
“I was a huge fan of the original film growing up as a kid and was so honored to take on the role of Eric Draven. But really what drew me to it was what Rupert Sanders wanted to do with it. He wanted to completely reimagine the story and the character and tailor it towards a modern audience. It’s a character that I know many revere and have a strong connection to - he is unlike any I’ve ever taken on before. Working with the remarkably talented FKA Twigs was magical. I felt a responsibility to Eric’s story and endeavored to stay true to the spirit of the source material; I can’t wait for the world to see the film, and hope it resonates with audiences as strongly as it did with those of us involved."
According to director Rupert Sanders, this new The Crow “goes back” to O’Barr’s graphic novel. It comes 30 years after Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee’s son, starred in the cult classic The Crow directed by Alex Proyas.
“That film sparked a fire with the youth of that day, a youth who grew up on hard, alternative rock, punk and metal, that binged on MTV and zines,” Sanders continued. “It held a mirror to that generation in the aesthetic of the film, its smoky, rain-drenched streets, stylized and subverted sets, its leather-clad hero and chain wielding villains. It expressed its time in a very specific, music-driven vision, that spoke to a young audience who had never been spoken to in that way. It became a cult classic.
“Our interpretation of James’ work also reflects this young generation, whose tastes and references have changed so dramatically from the original film. Hopefully it speaks to them in their language, with their style and music and hopefully will get them to discover Alex Proyas' film and James O’Barr’s graphic novel, bringing a new audience to the source material.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.