The Crow: John Wick Director Weighs in on Bill Skarsgård Reimagining

John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski gives his thoughts on Bill Skarsgård taking on the title role in The Crow reimagining.

“When I heard Bill was doing it, I was like, ‘That’s a good take,’ Stahelski said in a piece about the actor in Esquire . “I knew Bill was going to bring something different. Bill’s got that ethereal nature that makes him feel out of this world, or from another planet or existence.”

Stahelski is no stranger to The Crow franchise. The former stuntman previously worked on Alex Proyas ‘ 1994 adaptation as the late Brandon Lee ‘s stunt double. Stahelski was close friends with Lee when the star was tragically killed with a prop gun during the production. He painfully recalls finishing Lee’s scenes using early deep fake technology.

“I had to sit for weeks with Alex Proyas and watch all of the footage,” Stahelski said. “Face replacement was not very big at the time—you had to mimic everything.”

While Stahelski has optimism for the reimagining of the graphic novel by James O’Barr , original Crow director Proyas has been vocal about the new project being disrespectful to Lee’s legacy. “The Crow is not just a movie,” Proyas said in a now-deleted Facebook post. “Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss. It is his legacy. That’s how it should remain.”

What is The Crow about?

The official synopsis for The Crow reads: “Soulmates Eric (Skarsgård) and Shelly (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.”

Directed by Rupert Sanders with a screenplay by Zach Baylin and Will Schneider, The Crow reimagining stars Skarsgård in the title role opposite FKA Twigs, Danny Huston , Isabella Wei, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jordan Bolger.

The Crow is scheduled for release in theaters on August 23.