MaybeThe Crowis one movie property that should be left well enough alone. There have been numerous attempts to get a modern remake of the 1994Alex Proyas-directed cult classic off the ground, and recently things looked like they were shaping up with directorCorin Hardyat the helm. Now, as the film’s producers duel over the rights to the franchise, Hardy becomes the first casualty.
THRreports thatDana Brunetti, who’s teed up to run the reorganized Relativity Media, has already axed Hardy. It’s an odd decision considering thatThe Crowseemed to be getting its legs underneath it after Relativity bounced back from bankruptcy, and it’s one that’s already being challenged. Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation, the producer of the original film, filed papers in bankruptcy court, papers intended to deny Relativity rights to sequels, prequels and remakes. Now that the lawyers are involved, who knows how long it will be before we seeThe Crowagain, if ever.
The legal history between the production companies is a little tricky, but essentially Pressman made a deal with Relativity in 2009 for threeThe Crowfilms, an option that was exercised in 2014 with a three-year window to begin production. In August of 2015, Hardy came on board in a “holding deal” to direct the film, which officially sent the film into pre-production mode. At the time, both production parties were happy with the selection of Hardy. That changed in January of this year when Brunetti dismissed Hardy from the picture. Pressman then took issue with that move since it set back their production schedule and was, in their view, a breach of contract.
As for Relativity, they’re standing behind Brunetti despite Pressman’s lack of confidence in the production company. As CEORyan Kavanaughstated:
“With Dana coming aboard, we are giving him full creative rein. We want him to be able to rebootThe Crowunder his vision and guidance. We are optimistic he will create the best package for such an iconic franchise.”
However things shake out,The Crowsuffers another setback, which might not be all that bad as far as fans of the original are concerned.
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