Hollywood is no stranger to plagued movie productions, but hearing about the constant troubles that loom around The Crow franchise is just unfortunate.
According to a recent exclusive from Deadline, actor Jason Momoa and director Corin Hardy have stepped down from working on The Crow reboot. The decision to leave the project was supposedly due to a creative and financial dispute with film producer Samuel Hadida, whose production company, Davis Entertainment, funds the picture and holds the rights. Production on the film was set to start this month.
Momoa, who was originally excited to land the role, shared the upsetting news on Instagram and apologized to Crow graphic artist James O’Barr and fans for leaving the project:
“I’ve waited 8 years to play this dream role. I love you @corinhardy and @sonypictures unfortunately I may have to wait 8 more. Not our team. But I swear I will. James O’Barr sorry to let you down I won’t on the next. This film needs to be set free. And to the fans. Sorry. I can’t play anything but what this film deserves and it needs love. I’m ready when it’s right. Love u Corin aloha j.”
The film was meant to serve as a reboot of the 1994 film, The Crow, but remain closer to the graphic novel from 1989.
This unfortunate news is just one of many setbacks in what many are calling a cursed franchise, which started with the tragic incident that occurred during the original film’s production. During filming for a scene from the 1994 film, Brandon Lee, son of famed Kung Fu icon Bruce Lee, was fatally shot when a dummy bullet was dislodged from a gun and pierced him in the abdomen. It was a horrific incident that left a very dark shadow over the franchise.
Since then, other incidents surrounding the franchise have occurred, but the newest project has mostly been plagued by production issues.
The reboot has been in the works for over two decades. During that time, many actors, and even production companies, have been shuffled around the movie’s development. Now that the director and lead actor have departed, it looks like this picture will be kept in the dark for a while.
