Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 7:07AM Mark Wahlberg Offered 'The Crow' Reboot
First, this must be said: for fans of James O'Barr's classic comic series, Brandon Lee will always be The Crow. The late actor managed to encapsulate everything that made the gothic character great up until the tragic set accident that took his life. After all the god awful sequels and recastings of the lead that followed, it was only a matter of time until Hollywood remade Alex Proyas' 1994 adaptation.
Well plans for the Stephen Norrington/Relativity Media remake are finally moving forward and an offer went out today for an actor to play the titular character. An actor I typically like but couldn't be more wrong for this role: Mark Wahlberg.
Like I said, I like Wahlberg and love the roles he can play. But the character of The Crow is not one of those roles. Wahlberg is the quintessential action star of this generation, and while he does have some range it's not enough to play the resurrected rock star hell bent on revenge. We'd end up with a performance as flat as Max Payne.
I literally groaned out loud when I first heard the plans for this reboot as I'm a huge fan of both the comic and original film. But, my interest was sparked when writer/musician Nick Cave came on to do rewrites for two reasons. The first because of the great script he put together for his last film The Proposition. And the second being the possibility that with Cave's involvement could come the involvement of The Proposition's star, Guy Pearce.
Pearce has the range and physical attributes needed to play this role. The only downside being he might be a little older than what the studio is looking for, but in actuality he's only a few years older than Wahlberg.
So here's to hoping Wahlberg's schedule is too busy to fit this one in. And now that you know my choice for the role, who would you like to see cast as the new Crow?
Mike McLaughlin | Permalink | in Mark Wahlberg, News, The Crow | Print Article | 11 Comments | Share Article 
Reader Comments (11)
Brandon Lee's Crow is the definitive take on that character. Much like the Dark Knight sequel will not have the Joker in it because of Heath Ledger's definitive take on that role, I think that a Crow movie is setting itself up for failure no matter whom they cast. They will have to get an actor who can do their own take on the character, but audiences won't like it simply because it isn't "like the first movie." But they can't re-do the first movie exactly like it is, or else why re-make a movie at all?
Cillian Murphy.
@Severian, I completely agree that they can't re-do the first movie exactly like it is. And I'm glad that they're not going to (early reports point out the differences between the original and the planned remake). It seems that they're trying to make this film more like the original comic series, and while Proyas' film took some liberties in the story, Lee's portrayal of the character was spot on to the comic. So all I'm saying is that if they are aiming for the source material here, they need to cast someone with similar sensibilities as Lee but who can make the character his own. And this person isn't Wahlberg.
@MM, I think you're really onto something. Murphy would be perfect for the role. As long as he hits the gym first. The Crow is RIPPED in the comic.
johnny depp anyone
I have to throw in that while I agree with the comment about Whalberg being wrong for the role, you can't make that judgement based on the idea that it's a "resurrected rock star hell bent on revenge." My understanding is that the new script is supposed to be more in tune with the original graphic novel, and if such is the case, we have to remember that Eric Draven wasn't a rock star at all, but rather a construction worker and that the martial arts element of Proyas' version was largely brought on as a byproduct of Brandon Lee's involvement.
My thinking on casting is that for it to work, they'll have to cast a relatively unknown (re: Superman Returns). Mark Dacascos did a great job with the Stairway to Heaven series, but even he is too well-known now after Brotherhood of the Wolf and Iron Chef America. With a film this iconic and the irrefutable image-connection of Brandon, there's not a known Hollywood actor that will truly be able to pull this off in my opinion, regardless of how phenomenal an actor he may or may not be, and trying to cast one will likely shoot this project in the foot long before it even begins filming...
Two options for near perfect casting for the Crow would be Luke Goss or for big ticket interest Johnny Depp...Luke Goss wins my vote for his role of Prince Nuada in Hellboy 2 and Johnny Depp because he can :)
Jon Foo would be a great lesser known casting for the Crow
Jared Leto could do a great job.