The original director of The Crow, like many fans, is unimpressed with first-look pictures from the reboot of the movie, starring Bill Skarsgård.
Australian filmmaker Alex Proyas helmed the film back in 1994, which .
Rupert Sanders is in the director’s chair 30 years later, with Skarsgård portraying musician Eric Draven, who is resurrected from the dead to seek vengeance against the gang who murdered him and his fiancée Shelly ().
It stars Skarsgård, 33, rocks a revamped look as Draven with a shorter, mullet-style haircut and tattoos on his face and all over his body – leading to comparisons with Jared Leto’s version of the in 2016’s Suicide Squad, which is not fondly remembered.
‘Did the costume designers/artists for The Crow reboot learn nothing from Jared Leto Joker??? This looks awful,’ complained user @ATdriver_ on X, while others branded it ‘sacrilege’ and ‘soulless’.
Proyas, 60, took to Facebook this week to mock how Draven now looked in the upcoming film.
‘Eric Draven’s having a bad hair day. Next reboot thanks,’ he commented next to a photo of Skarsgård and FKA twigs, real name Tahlia Debrett Barnett, chatting by a fire.
‘I guess he’s supposed to be a bad mofo with all those tats and werewolves and skulls on his jacket,’ the director added alongside a laugh-crying emoji, suggesting he was not impressed by the makeover.
Lee originally rocked shoulder-length black hair and a far more gothic-inspired look, including white and black face make-up in Draven’s resurrected form.
Proyas also criticised the choice of beer Skarsgård’s Draven was drinking, commenting: ‘Jesus! He could at least drink something more bad-ass.’
The I, Robot director has been vocally , as he feels the original film should stand as is in a tribute to Lee.
Lee, theson of , was tragically shot and later died after an error with bullets loaded into the prop gun being used on the set of The Crow.
The actor had finished almost all of his scenes for the movie – which was to be his breakout role – and was filming a scene where he is shot by thugs after entering an apartment .
Actor Michael Massee, who was playing Funboy, held the gun in question.
Lee fell backwards instead of forwards as was planned in the scene, but the crew initially believed he was still acting.
When the alarm was raised, he was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Centre where he underwent six hours of surgery in attempts to save his life.
Lee was pronounced dead on March 31, 1993, at the age of 28, and the shooting was ruled an accident due to negligence.
Massee, who died in 2016 aged 64, took a year off from acting and never saw The Crow, which was released posthumously, having been traumatised by the tragedy.
The Crow went on to be released, coming out a year after Lee’s death and dedicated to him and his fiancée, Eliza Hutton.
Discussing his sensitive approach to the remake of The Crow, Ghost in the Shell director Sanders told : ‘Obviously, it was a terrible tragedy, and it’s definitely something that we’ve always had in mind through the making of the film.
‘Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous with The Crow and I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again. His soul is very much alive in this film.’
Sanders also praised the ‘real fragility and beauty’ of Lee’s version of the Crow, as he said that, in his opinion, ‘Bill feels like he is a successor to that’.
The Crow is set for release in US cinemas on June 7. A UK release date is yet to be announced.
