Lead Jason Momoa and director Corin Hardy quit as 'The Crow' reboot hits yet another snag
The highly-mooted reboot of 1994 dark fantasy action film and cult classic 'The Crow' has hit yet another snag, Deadline reported. The movie has consistently faced production problems, with the latest news emerging that both director Corin Hardy and lead actor Jason Momoa have left the project over alleged creative differences.
As early as March, it looked like the film would finally be getting underway. It had been announced that it would be receiving a tentative October 11, 2019 release date, with the shooting set to begin a further five weeks after in Budapest, but everything has fallen apart once again.
The speculation around the cancelation is that both Hardy and Momoa quit the project after there were 'creative and financial differences with Samuel Hadida, whose Davis Films holds the underlying rights and who was financing the film.' With worldwide distributors Sony Pictures close to pulling the plug as well, the reboot might soon just be an afterthought in the minds of the fans of the original.
The production has tackled problems in the recent past as well but had managed to overcome them. The previous right holders, Relativity, had intended to finance the project initially but had to distance itself after it went bankrupt.
Hadida then picked up the rights and hired both Hardy, who was contracted to direct under Relativity as well, and Momoa for the reboot. There was hope for some stability and some groundbreaking on the long-awaited movie but it looks like it's now dead in the water.
This also marks the second time that Hardy has left the film. The director, who made his debut with 2015 horror film 'The Hallow' and has helmed 'The Conjuring' spinoff 'The Nun,' as well as music videos for Ed Sheeran and others, had earlier exited because of the aforementioned financial troubles that Relativity was facing.
Sony Pictures had announced that it would serve as the worldwide distributor for the film but Deadline states that the deal was not closed. This inability to secure an international distributor left the studio uneasy as well, resulting in the knock-on effect and the eventual departures of Hardy and Momoa.
The 1994 film was based on a comic book of the same name written by James O' Barr and was directed by Alex Proyas. It starred Brandon Lee, in what tragically turned out to be his final film appearance, as the rock musician who is revived from the dead to avenge his own death as well as the rape and murder of his fiancé.
Famously enough, even the original had faced several production issues, mostly emanating from Lee's death. However, its unique visual style, premise, emotional depth and its tribute to the deceased actor, meant that it was received well critically and developed a cult following, earning $50 million on a $23 million budget.