An exclusive first-look clip on The crow which Lionsgate released in conjunction with San Diego Comic-Con 2024, sees the titular character attempt bloody revenge, settling for just the “bloody” part. The film, a new adaptation of James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book series of the same name, stars Bill Skarsgård (of It And The: Chapter Two fame) and British recording artist FKA twigs as Eric and Shelly, young lovers who are “brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them.” Eric then returns from the dead to take revenge and save Shelly’s soul.
The first trailer for The crowwhich was released a few months ago, emphasizes that the undead version of Eric has “the powers of a god,” granted to him so that he can right the wrongs of these two murders. But while the SDCC clip sees him in a violent fight with some men he blames for the murders, he doesn’t come out of it well. It’s not comical clip — nothing in this sequence suggests we’re supposed to find it funny when his attempt to gun down his enemies fails — but the tone is certainly notably different from the trailer’s attempt to reimagine ’80s goth chic with a 2020s horror-thriller aesthetic.
O’Barr’s Limited Series The crow was previously adapted into a film in 1994, which became infamous for the Star Brandon Lee dies on setin an accident involving a prop gun. That film was a box office hit that achieved a modest cult following, which has set the stakes for this modern adaptation particularly high — meaning that comic book fans will likely be scrutinizing clips like this one in anticipation of what kind of tone director Rupert Sanders will strike. Sanders’ reputation isn’t the best in fandom; his last feature film was 2017’s infamous Ghost in the shell live-action remake, which caused much controversy due to the casting of Scarlett Johansson in the lead role.
Here’s the SDCC exclusive version of the 2024 poster The crow. The film will be in theaters from August 23.
Image: Lionsgate