The Crow (franchise)

Last updated
The Crow
Created by James O'Barr
Original work The Crow (1989)
OwnersFilm distribution: Paramount Pictures (through Miramax Films): (1–4) (1994–2005)
Lionsgate: (5) (2024 reboot)
Comics: Image (1989–1998) IDW Publishing (1998–1999)
Years1989–present
Print publications
Novel(s)
  • The Crow (1995)
  • The Crow: City of Angels (1996)
  • The Crow: Quoth the Crow (1998)
  • The Crow: The Lazarus Heart (1998)
  • The Crow: Clash by Night (1998)
  • The Crow: Temple of Night (1999)
  • The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2000)
  • The Crow: Hellbound (2001)
Comics
  • The Crow (1989)
  • The Crow: Dead Time (1996)
  • The Crow: Flesh & Blood (1996)
  • The Crow: City of Angels (1996)
  • The Crow: Wild Justice (1996)
  • The Crow: Waking Nightmares (1997–1998)
  • The Crow/Razor: Kill the Pain (1998)
  • The Crow (1999)
Films and television
Film(s)
Television series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven (1998–1999)
Games
Video game(s) The Crow: City of Angels (1997)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)

The Crow is an American media franchise based on the limited comic book series of the same name created by James O'Barr. Since then, there have been five released films and a television series, as well as a video game.

Contents

Films

FilmU.S. release dateDirectorScreenwriter(s)Producers
The Crow May 13, 1994 Alex Proyas David J. Schow and John Shirley Edward R. Pressman & Jeff Most
The Crow: City of Angels August 30, 1996 Tim Pope David S. Goyer
The Crow: Salvation January 23, 2000 Bharat Nalluri Chip Johannessen
The Crow: Wicked Prayer July 19, 2005 Lance Mungia Lance Mungia, Jeff Most and Sean Hood
The Crow August 23, 2024 Rupert Sanders Zach Baylin and Will SchneiderEdward R. Pressman, Molly Hassell, Victor Hadida, John Jencks & Samuel Hadida

Television

SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedNetwork
The Crow: Stairway to Heaven 122September 25, 1998 (1998-09-25)May 22, 1999 (1999-05-22) Syndication

Unmade films

The Crow: The Bride

In the 90s, James O'Barr wanted to pursue a female-led installment of The Crow called The Crow: The Bride which would've followed a woman killed on her wedding day who would return seeking revenge. [1] O'Barr had been inspired by a news story he'd read in which Chicago gangsters robbing a church ended up at a wedding where a shoot out occurred with one of the guests who was an off-duty cop and 13 people were killed. [1] When O'Barr pitched the concept to Miramax it was rejected as they didn't believe audiences would pay to see an action film with a female lead. [1]

The Crow: 2037

Initial development on a third Crow film was announced in August 1997, when Rob Zombie was attached to make a directorial debut with The Crow: 2037. [2] White Zombie covered the KC and the Sunshine Band hit "I'm Your Boogie Man" for the soundtrack of The Crow: City of Angels , and after seeing Rob Zombie's work on the video he produced for the song, Edward Pressman offered Zombie the opportunity to helm the third Crow film. [2] Had the film been made, Zombie planned to shift focus in tone from the revenge angle of the previous two entries, to a more horror based approach. The film would've began in 2010, when a young boy and his mother are murdered on Halloween night by a Satanic priest. A year later, the boy is resurrected as the Crow. Twenty-seven years later, and unaware of his past, he has become a bounty hunter on a collision course with his now all-powerful killer. [2] While producers responded favorably to Zombie's proposal for a third "The Crow" film, producers Pressman and Most ultimately decided it wasn't the best fit for a Crow film and was better served as a standalone work. [3] Zombie himself spoke of his frustration with experience after spending 18 months working on the film often dealing with the indecisiveness of the producers who according to him would change their mind as to what they wanted on any given day which ultimately lead to Zombie leaving the project. [4]

The Crow: Lazarus

In July 2000, rapper DMX had been in discussions with producers about a fourth Crow film titled The Crow: Lazarus about a rapper who chooses to leave the music scene for the love of a woman and is killed during a drive-by shooting. The rapper is then reincarnated as The Crow in order to take revenge on the gang responsible for his death. [5] Production had been slated to begin in November of that year, but the project ultimately never came to be. [6]

Cast

CharactersOriginal FilmsRebootTelevision
The Crow The Crow:
City of Angels 		The Crow:
Salvation 		The Crow:
Wicked Prayer 		The Crow The Crow:
Stairway to Heaven
199419962000200520241998 – 1999
Eric Draven Brandon Lee Mentioned  Bill Skarsgård Mark Dacascos
Sarah Mohr Rochelle Davis Mia Kirshner   Katie Stuart
Albrecht Ernie Hudson  Marc Gomes
Top Dollar Michael Wincott   John Pyper-Ferguson
Shelly Webster Sofia Shinas   FKA Twigs Sabine Karsenti
Darla Mohr Anna Levine   Lynda Boyd
Tin-Tin Laurence Mason  Darcy Laurie
Funboy Michael Massee   Ty Olsson
Ashe Corven  Vincent Pérez  
Judah Earl  Richard Brooks  
Curve  Iggy Pop  
Alexander Frederick "Alex" Corvis  Eric Mabius  
Erin Randall  Kirsten Dunst  
Lauren Randall  Jodi Lyn O'Keefe  
Nathan Randall  William Atherton  
Police Captain John L. Book  Fred Ward  
James "Jimmy" Cuervo  Edward Furlong  
Luc "Death" Crash  David Boreanaz  
Lola Byrne  Tara Reid  
Lilly "Ignites the Dawn"  Emmanuelle Chriqui  
El Niño  Dennis Hopper  
Vincent Roeg Danny Huston
Sophia Webster Josette Simon
Marian Laura Birn
Kronos Sami Bouajila
ZadieIsabella Wei
Chance Jordan Bolger

Crew

Crew for the Crow film and television series
CrewFilm
The Crow The Crow:
City of Angels 		The Crow: Salvation The Crow:
Wicked Prayer 		The Crow
19941996200020052024
Composer Graeme Revell Marco Beltrami Jamie Christopherson Volker Bertelmann
Director of Photography Dariusz Wolski Jean-Yves Escoffier Carolyn ChenKurt BrabbeeSteve Annis [7]
Editor(s)Dov Hoenig
M. Scott Smith
  • Michael N. Knue
  • Anthony Redman
Howard E. Smith Dean Holland Jason Ballantine
Production company
  • Dimension Films
  • Entertainment Media Investment Corporation
  • Pressman Film
  • Jeff Most Productions
Dimension Films
  • Pressman Film
  • Jeff Most Productions
  • Fubu Films
  • Davis Films
  • Hassell Free Productions
  • Electric Shadow Co.
  • Pressman Film
  • Ashland Hill Media Finance
Distributor Miramax Films Dimension Films

Reception

Box office performance

FilmRelease dateBox office grossBudgetReference
US/CanadaOther
territories		Worldwide
The CrowMay 13, 1994$50,693,129$43,000,000$93,693,129$23 million [8] [9]
The Crow: City of AngelsAugust 30, 1996$17,917,287$6,931,174$24,848,461$13 million [10] [11]
The Crow: SalvationJanuary 23, 2000———$10 million[ citation needed ]
The Crow: Wicked PrayerJune 3, 2005————
The CrowAugust 23, 2024$9,275,659$14,723,447$23,999,106$50 million [12] [13] [14]
Total$77,886,075$64,654,621$142,540,696$96 million

Critical response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
The Crow (1994)84% (63 reviews) [15] 71 (14 reviews) [16]
The Crow: City of Angels11% (36 reviews) [17] —
The Crow: Salvation18% (11 reviews) [18] —
The Crow: Wicked Prayer0% (9 reviews) [19] —
The Crow (2024)22% (133 reviews) [20] 30 (31 reviews) [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Crow</i> (1994 film) Film by Alex Proyas

The Crow is a 1994 American gothic superhero film directed by Alex Proyas and written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, based on the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr. It stars Brandon Lee in his final film role, as Eric Draven, a rock musician who is resurrected from the dead to seek vengeance against the gang who murdered him and his fiancée.

<i>The Crow: City of Angels</i> 1996 film directed by Tim Pope

The Crow: City of Angels is a 1996 American superhero film directed by Tim Pope and written by David S. Goyer. It serves as a standalone sequel to the 1994 film The Crow in addition to being the second installment in The Crow film series. The film stars Vincent Pérez, Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks, Iggy Pop, Thomas Jane and Thuy Trang. It received negative critic reviews. It was followed by 2000 film sequel, The Crow: Salvation.

<i>The Crow: Salvation</i> 2000 supernatural superhero film directed by Bharat Nalluri

The Crow: Salvation is a 2000 American superhero film directed by Bharat Nalluri. Starring Eric Mabius as Alex Corvis and the third installment of The Crow film series, based on the comic book character of the same name by James O'Barr. After its distributor cancelled the intended wide theatrical release due to The Crow: City of Angels' negative critical reception, The Crow: Salvation was released direct-to-video after a limited theatrical run. Film critic reviews were overwhelmingly negative. It was followed by 2005 film sequel The Crow: Wicked Prayer.

<i>Brainscan</i> 1994 horror film by John Flynn

Brainscan is a 1994 American science fiction slasher film directed by John Flynn and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. The film stars Edward Furlong, Frank Langella, Amy Hargreaves, Jamie Marsh, and T. Ryder Smith. The soundtrack was composed by George S. Clinton.

<i>The Crow</i> Comic book series created by James OBarr

The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at the hands of a drunk driver, was first published by Caliber Comics in 1989. It became an underground success and was later adapted into a film of the same name in 1994. It was followed by three standalone sequels and a television series. A second adaptation was released in 2024. Numerous books and comic books have also been produced, albeit published by various different companies.

<i>The Crow: Wicked Prayer</i> 2005 film by Lance Mungia

The Crow: Wicked Prayer is a 2005 American superhero film directed by Lance Mungia, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Most and Sean Hood, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Norman Partridge, which in turn was based on the comic book character The Crow created by James O'Barr. It is the standalone sequel to The Crow: Salvation (2000) and the fourth installment in The Crow film series. The film stars Edward Furlong, Tara Reid, David Boreanaz, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Dennis Hopper, Marcus Chong, Tito Ortiz, Rena Owen, Danny Trejo, and Macy Gray.

<i>Ghost in the Machine</i> (film) 1993 film by Rachel Talalay

Ghost in the Machine is a 1993 American science fiction horror film directed by Rachel Talalay and released by 20th Century Fox about a deceased serial killer with artificial computer intelligence.

<i>Halloween</i> (2007 film) Film by Rob Zombie

Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. It is a remake of John Carpenter's 1978 horror film of the same name and the ninth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tyler Mane, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, and William Forsythe. The "reimagining" follows Michael Myers who murdered his family as a child and becomes institutionalized at an asylum, before breaking out and stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night.

Halloween is an American slasher media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as novels, comic books, a video game and other merchandise. The films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily take place. Throughout the series various protagonists try to stop Myers including, most notably Laurie Strode and psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. The original Halloween, released in 1978, was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill—the film's director and producer respectively. The film, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, is known to have inspired a long line of slasher films.

<i>The Crow: City of Angels</i> (soundtrack) 1996 soundtrack album by various artists

The original soundtrack of The Crow: City of Angels, the sequel to the 1994 film The Crow, was released on July 29, 1996, by Hollywood Records. The album includes a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song "Gold Dust Woman" by Hole, as well as tracks by other heavyweight artists such as White Zombie, Korn, Deftones and Iggy Pop. Like the original Crow soundtrack, a song by Joy Division is covered, "In a Lonely Place" by Bush.

<i>Phantoms</i> (film) 1998 film directed by Joe Chappelle

Phantoms is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed by Joe Chappelle and starring Peter O'Toole, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, Liev Schreiber, Ben Affleck, Nicky Katt, and Clifton Powell. The screenplay was adapted by Dean Koontz from his own 1983 novel of the same name. The film takes place in the peaceful town of Snowfield, Colorado, where something evil has wiped out the community. It is up to a group of people to stop it or at least get out of Snowfield alive.

<i>Mutant Chronicles</i> (film) 2008 British film

Mutant Chronicles is a 2008 British-American science fiction action-horror film, loosely based on the role-playing game of the same name. The film was directed by Simon Hunter, and stars Thomas Jane and Ron Perlman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Grey Pictures</span> American independent film production company

Point Grey (PGP) is a Canadian-American film and television production company, founded in 2011 by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The company is named after Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver, where they met.

<i>The Crow</i> (2024 film) Film by Rupert Sanders

The Crow is a 2024 American superhero film directed by Rupert Sanders from a screenplay by Zach Baylin and William Schneider. A reboot of The Crow film series, it is the fifth film in the franchise, and is the second film, after the 1994 film, to adapt the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric/The Crow, a man who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his girlfriend, played by FKA Twigs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Miska, Brad (October 31, 2017). "'The Crow' Creator Wanted a Female-led Sequel About a Vengeful Bride". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  2. 1 2 3 "Third 'Crow' to fly". Variety. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  3. ↑ Beeler, Michael (April 2000). "The Crow: Salvation". Cinefantastique . Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ Dumars, Denise (April 2001). "Rob Zombie". Cinefantastique . Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Edward Furlong To Star In 'The Crow: Wicked Prayer'". MTV. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  6. ↑ "DMX Signs On To Resurrect "The Crow" Film Series". MTV. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Steve Annis | LUX". www.luxartists.net. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  8. ↑ "The Crow (1994)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Worldwide rentals beat domestic take". Variety . February 13, 1995. p. 28.
  10. ↑ "The Crow: City of Angels". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  11. ↑ "The Crow: City of Angels (1996)". JPBox-Office. Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  12. ↑ Kit, Borys (2022-04-01). "Bill Skarsgard to Star in 'The Crow' Reboot, Rupert Sanders Directing (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2024-08-20.
  13. ↑ "The Crow (2024)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  14. ↑ "The Crow (2024)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  15. ↑ "The Crow (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Crow (1994)". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Crow: City of Angels". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  18. ↑ "The Crow - Salvation". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  19. ↑ "The Crow: Wicked Prayer". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  20. ↑ "The Crow (2024)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  21. ↑ "The Crow (2024)". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved September 2, 2024.
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