Director Discusses Controversy, Explicit Language, and a Dark Romance in The Crow Movie
You wanna chat about the new Crow flick, huh? Hell yeah, let's get into it. This bad boy's been in the works almost two decades, with more directors and actors trying to make it happen than you can shake a stick at. For whatever reason, though, including the myth that the series is cursed since Lee's death on set, it just never panned out. That is, until now.
Director Rupert Sanders—the man behind Foundation, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Ghost in the Shell—cast Bill Skarsgård as our titular hero alongside musician FKA twigs as his love interest, Shelly. Much like James O'Barr's original comics, Sanders' vision of The Crow* follows a couple that's offed, with the dude coming back to life with a thirst for revenge. Unlike the '94 cult classic, though, this dark romance takes a deeper dive into the relationship between Eric and Shelly, making for a more grounded, human tale that eventually becomes a bloody symphony of violence.
And even though it took so long to get made and even though you might've heard some negative chatter about it, The Crow is about to surprise some folks—and that's exactly where our convo with Sanders kicks off. Let's dive in.
Germain Lussier, io9: So, I saw the flick yesterday, and I honestly liked it, which felt weird based on all the stuff I'd been hearing about it. So, my first question is do you feel like you're in an uphill battle releasing the film based on this early random buzz?
**Rupert Sanders: ** Nah, not really, 'cause I believe folks'll start to get on board as they check it out. Any discourse in the marketplace is good, baby, because people want to know what's up with all the chatter. They dig a bit deeper into things, and that's cool. But, y'know, it's always tough to make something that matters to folks. And I've tried to approach it with a similar vibe to the original, based on the same source material. The source material and the original were different, man, but this flick is my take. I've done my thing, and I'm hoping the young audience will be as obsessed with it as folks our age are with the OG movie.
io9: That kinda leads to my next question, which is I was lookin' back on our website, and the first article about the remake of The Crow was in 2008, way before that. So many other directors and stars have had their hands on it at certain points, didn't ya feel that while you were makin' the flick? And when you came on, did you see anywhere previous materials or did you start fresh?
Sanders: ** I didn't really know much about the other versions. I don't read the trades much, so I didn't have much insight into what other folks had done. I knew they'd come close and that Jason Momoa had been involved, but I didn't really ask him what went down. Movies are hard to make, and there's not a straight path to set. It's a damn battle to get a flick made. We kept it cheap and made it R-rated, just like the first one. We shot it in Europe, finished it in London, had a crew from the U.K. and the Czeck Republic, and did our own thang. Do you know what I mean? It's my version of The Crow with a group of collaborative, artistic people who jumped aboard my vision. I hope the young'uns will love this flick like folks our age dig the original.
io9: That was my first thought, that it'd have that kind of effect, so I'm curious—have there been times when you felt kind of indebted to anything that was done before? Is this completely yours and the writers?
Sanders: [Nods] Yep, I had a clear vision speaking to the producers when they were interviewing for the gig. I laid out my game plan—scenes, the vibe, the look— you name it.
io9: All right, cool. So what do you think it is about the story that so many folks across the board have tried to make it, and you finally got it across the finish line? What about it resonates?
**Sanders: ** To me, I think it's 'cause it's a love story that deals with universal themes like love, loss, grief, and all that jazz. We're gonna lose folks we love, and we're all gonna die. There's just something about exploring that in a real way that really speaks to folks. I was feeling that vibe while makin' the flick, so I guess it was like therapy for me. Then, when you factor in the indie feel, the Cure vibe, the melancholy, and the violence, you've got a gorgeous love story for a new generation.
io9: Yeah, I was really surprised by how much it is a romance, how much it focuses on the relationship. You played with that at all in editing? Made it quicker, got to the action sooner?
Sanders: Oh, yeah, there were folks who wanted it way shorter, but I stood firm. It's unconventional, but it's crazy important for the story. And hey, Shelly's a real person in this flick, which she wasn't in the original movie. I wanted to shine a spotlight on the female sensibility, 'cause if you can't feel their love, then how can you understand what someone will do for that love? So it's crucial we feel for her as much as Eric does. And Sue, Bill, and twigs all did an incredible job of making it happen on set.
io9: Alright, so how'd you score both Bill and twigs? Were they up for auditions, did you seek 'em out? What were your conversations like with each of 'em when it came to finding that balance of making these not-good people with an innocence we embrace?
Sanders: ** I cast Bill before, workin' on the adaptation of The Things They Carried. I've chatted with him a bit, and as we spoke more about the role, he kept sending me pictures and stuff. And I saw this little action sequence he shot with some of the stunt guys, and I was like, "This is it, man. This is Bill."
As for twigs, I only met one actress, and that was twigs. We has tea together and spent an hour chatmin' it up, and I was like, "She's amazing, man. I want her as Shelly." And then, when we got on set, the chemistry was there. It was instant.
io9: Wow, okay. And just one more thing on the crows—there are so many crows in the flick, right? I couldn't really tell which were CGI, which were practical. I couldn't really tell. Were there any practical crows? Were they all CGI?
**Sanders: ** We were careful with how many we did practically. We started with a big crew, but as the days and nights went on, it was just me, a crow, and a guy in a leather glove and a camera, shootin' close-ups of the crows. We did some CGI when we needed to, and when you're flyin' through cities and all that, it's tougher. But I'd say about 60% of the crows are practical. That was more about a budget necessity than anything else. We kept it in-camera, down-and-dirty, and that was awesome. Prague was the perfect hub for us—it gave us the scope.
io9: I get it, I get it. You mentioned talkin' about balance with the movie—how you wished there'd been less romance, slightly more violence. Did you talk about that balance when you were in the edit room, balancin' how hard you wanted to go with it? Balancin' that with the romance to make sure it paid off thematically?
**Sanders: ** I admit, it wasn't all rule book, man. Sometimes it's just like, "That's cool, let's fucking pull his guts out" and then there's this kind of graphic nature to the violence, but it's always in character. Bill's cryin' because he don't wanna kill anymore, and the opera wasLike a metaphor for both ends of the spectrum, but both given the same grandeur. I'm real happy with how the opera sequence turned out, and I think it's only gonna get better on second and third viewings.
io9: Interesting, I'll give it a go. Now, I read your director's statement in the press notes, and I'm hoping you'll expand a bit on that in relation to the original movie and any thoughts you have on what folks who've seen it might think about your flick?
Sanders: ** I reckon it's like theatre—there's always a new adaptation of Macbeth every month, and people still love it. So I hope folks'll dig this flick, whether they know The Crow or not. I also hope folks who loved the original flick will see this and go, "Oh, it's different, but I like it." That'd be the dream.
io9: My last thing here—ever since the death of Brandon Lee, The Crow's been associated with this sort of urban myth of it being cursed, and it's never been able to get made, so it's cursed. Now that your movie's done and comin' out, where do you stand on the urban myth of The Crow being a cursed franchise?
**Sanders: ** Well, in order to make the flick, I had to stand at crossroads at midnight with a knife and blood on my hand, waiting for the ferryman.
io9: [laughs]
**Sanders: ** But in all seriousness, I never took any outrageous risks on set, y'know? We had zero live-fire guns, and the crew was trained well. Safety was priority number one. If folks weren't feelin' good during a stunt, we'd push it to another day. It's never worth the risk. And that's how we approached this whole project—safety first.
**io9: All right, man. Thanks for your time today, and congrats on the flick. Here's hopin' it finds its audience, despite any so-called curses.
**Sanders: ** Thanks, man. I think it will.
That's the gist of our little chat with Mr. Sanders—and let me tell ya, dear reader, the flick looks incredible. So here's to hoping it finds an audience, shakes off any curses, and gets the love it deserves. The Crow opens this Friday, so be sure to get your tickets and experience the ride for yourself!
Want more io9 goodness? Check out the latest on Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek, what's next for the DC Universe, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
- Rupert Sanders, the director of The Crow, expressed that he believes people will start to support the film as they see it, knowing that any controversy is good for generating interest and discussion.
- Sanders revealed that he didn't know much about previous versions of The Crow and didn't delve into them, choosing instead to focus on his own vision with a group of collaborative, artistic individuals who jumped aboard his project.
- In the interview, Sanders mentioned that he based his film on the same source material as the original, but with his unique take on the story. He emphasized that his version of The Crow emphasizes the relationship between Eric and Shelly, making for a more human, grounded tale.
- Sanders explained that he approached the narrative of The Crow as a love story with universal themes like love, loss, and grief. He believes that exploring such themes in a relatable way resonates with audiences, and he hopes that this new version of the film will appeal to a younger audience in the same way that the original did for older viewers.
