The Crow's original director Alex Proyas speaks out against Sony's upcoming remake, set to star Justice League's Jason Momoa. While some fans have expressed hope that Momoa can do the franchise justice, Proyas' issue with The Crow's remake/reboot has nothing to do with the lead actor, and is instead tied to a belief that the movie shouldn't be made at all. A Crow resurrection has traveled in and out of development hell for nearly a decade now, but if Proyas had his way, the project would return to movie industry limbo.

Back in 1994, The Crow's comic inspiration wasn't that well-known to the masses, and it's likely that quite a few viewers weren't too aware of the source material when they sat down in the theater. Proyas' film wasn't exactly a huge success at the box office, but it did well enough, earning just over $50 million on a budget that most online sources place somewhere between $15 and $23 million. The Crow was a critical darling though, and earned raves for the performance of star Brandon Lee, who famously died during filming after a stunt went wrong. The Crow made a huge mark with those who did see it at the time, and has cultivated a large, loyal fanbase in the years since.

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Hollywood would attempt to exploit The Crow's resonance with three subsequent sequels, which by most accounts started at passable at best and ended at outright dreadful. A short-lived TV series called The Crow: Stairway to Heaven also materialized. It's fair to say though that the major reason Sony is interested in restarting The Crow franchise is due to the lingering love that Lee's turn in the role receives. That point is actually the crux of Proyas' argument against the new film, which he made via a recent Facebook post. Check it out below.

While Proyas' reasoning for not remaking or rebooting The Crow is colored by the fact that he clearly shared a close bond with Lee, his argument is a fair one in many respects. Due to the actor's career being cut short, when people remember Brandon Lee, most immediately think of The Crow, and its lead character Eric Draven. Having a new actor take over that character on the big screen - the movie sequels all featured a new character donning the Crow persona - risks effectively overwriting Lee's biggest accomplishment in the eyes of moviegoers. Plus, were it not for Lee's spellbinding performance, there probably wouldn't be much interest in a new Crow to begin with. Every iteration of the franchise since has seemingly been chasing Lee's legacy, trying desperately to recapture it.

That said, Proyas' viewpoint is not the only one worth considering. For one, Crow comic creator James O'Barr is fully on-board with the remake, set to be directed by Corin Hardy. O'Barr has been heavily involved in the creative process, and since he created the Crow character, he certainly has every right to do what he sees fit with the franchise. It'll be interesting to see if he offers any type of rebuttal to Proyas' comments.

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The Crow begins production in February 2018.

Source: Alex Proyas