We've heard word of a reboot (remake, redo or whatever you want to call it) of The Crow for quite a while, with Stephen Norrington signing on to write and direct the project back in December 2008. Since then we've heard everything from casting getting underway to producer Edward Pressman telling us that the film was initially set in Southwest (Mexico/Arizona), only to be moved to an "urban area" like Detroit or Pittsburgh.

Up until this point we've been under the impression that along with Norrington (Blade) occupying the director's chair, the "terrific" script that he's written would be the shooting one. Well, apparently that's not the case as The Wrap reports that renowned musician and screenwriter, Nick Cave, is going to be rewriting The Crow reboot.

The news of Cave rewriting the script comes, again, from Pressman. There's no details on the reason why they're going with a new scribe to rewrite what Norrington has scripted but there must be a good reason for it.

Now if you're wondering why Cave - a well known and respected musician -  has been chosen to work on The Crow, that's because music isn't the only talent he possesses. Cave made his writing debut with the 1998 film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead before going on to write the fantastic Australian Western The Proposition in 2005.

On top of past credits, Cave has also written a movie called The Promised Land (an adaptation of the novel The Wettest County in the World), which was to be directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition) with Shia LeBeouf attached to star. The project was reported to have fallen through but The Wrap now reports that isn't the case, and that the project is still in development over at Red Wagon Entertainment.

On top of writing, fans of musical scores will surely remember (amongst others) Cave's masterful collaboration with Warren Ellis for the score of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Whatever you think of that movie (some say slow and boring, I say utter brilliance), you have to admit the score is intoxicating.

Now that you're informed as to what Cave's links are to the movie world, the question is if he is suited to The Crow. We already know the reboot is going to be taking a vastly different approach to the character than the 1994 film and its subsequent sequels. We've heard before that it won't have that same Gothic style but will rather be, "realistic, hard-edged and mysterious."

Although both The Proposition and Ghosts... of the Civil Dead certainly didn't shy away from heavy violence, I don't know if I can see Cave's style meshing well with the world of The Crow. Perhaps my judgment is clouded by the memory and admiration of Alex Proyas' 1994 film, but right now I'm not totally convinced Cave is the right man for the job.

Having said that, if he ends up scoring the film it will have my ticket money, no questions asked :-) .

We had heard word that The Crow might start shooting this summer but unless things get going in the next month that obviously won't be the case. Right now the reboot is scheduled to hit theaters sometime in 2011 but that could always change.

Stay tuned to Screen Rant for more on the project.

Source: The Wrap