Bill Skarsgård is your new The Crow

It actor Bill Skarsgård is now set to add The Crow to his list of iconic roles, as THR reports that Skarsgard has signed on to star in a remake of the 1994 superhero film. A remake of that movie—now best remembered, obviously, for the shocking death of star Brandon Lee on the film’s set back in 1993—has been languishing in development hell for some years now, but Skarsgård will team up with Snow White And The Huntsman and Ghost In The Shell director Rupert Sanders to bring the movie back to Gothic life.

As with the first film, the remake will presumably take most of its story cues from James O’Barr’s original comics, which would situate Skarsgård in the role of Eric Draven, a regular guy whose life is abruptly ruined and/or ended when gang members murder him and his fiancé. One visit from a magical bird later, and he’s back, in black, and seeking vengeance on his killers.

The Crow was a hit when it arrived in theaters in 1994, for reasons both ghoulish and straightforward. Directed by Alex Proyas, the film nearly quadrupled its budget by the time its box office run ended. (Despite the fact that it was also, per columnist Tom Breihan, “a goofy grunge-era exploitation movie that never could’ve been made anytime but 1994.”)

The script for the new film—which we’re just going to go ahead and assume won’t share continuity with any of the later, non-hit Crow movies, including sequels City Of Angels, Stairway To Heaven, and Salvation—is being written by Zach Baylin, who’s fresh off an Oscar nomination for King Richard.

As noted above, Hollywood has been trying to reboot The Crow for about 14 years now, generally to disastrous effect. Previous actors attached, either formally or not, to the role of Eric Draven in that intervening span have included Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, Luke Evans, James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Jack Huston, Nicholas Hoult, Jason Momoa, and Skarsgård’s own brother, Alexander. Bill Skarsgård: Welcome to the Crow Club!