The first trailer for Lionsgate and director Rupert Sanders' new take on The Crow was released yesterday, and let's just say it's proved to be... divisive.
To be fair, any remake or reinterpretation of The Crow was always going to be heavily scrutinized by the loyal fans of Alex Proyas' beloved '90s adaptation starring the late Brandon Lee, and those first promo images featuring Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven had already come in for a lot of backlash.
So, was the trailer really that bad?
Opinions will obviously vary, but even leaving aside the decision to basically ignore the moody, Gothic tone of the original (that song choice is just flat out bizarre), this teaser gives off generic supernatural action movie vibes, and fans simply expected more.
You may feel the reaction has been a bit harsh, but the fans have spoken, and the trailer has received a massive 53,000 dislikes (compared to 42,000 likes) on YouTube after being online for just over 24 hours.
Have another look at the trailer below.
Rochelle Davis, who played a young girl named Sarah who was cared for by Draven (Lee) and Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) before they were murdered in the original film, recently spoke with TMZ about the images, and her initial reaction was, "Yuck."
Davis made it clear that she has no issues with Skarsgård's casting or acting ability, but feels his look fails to "capture the essence of Eric Draven, who's supposed to be a good man with a good soul." Davis described this version as "dingy, dirty, and grungy," suggesting that he looks more like the "villains he should be fighting than the titular character."
The actress also took issue with the new movie's lack of diversity, and feels that "anyone other than a straight white male" would have been a better casting choice, adding that Lionsgate maybe should have gone out of their way to cast someone who more closely resembles Lee out of respect.
The synopsis reads: "Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right."
The movie will also star Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jordan Bolger in undisclosed roles. Zach Baylin and Will Schneider penned the script.
The new take on The Crow will hit theaters on June 7, 2024.