Stephen Norrington set to reinvent ‘The Crow’

Let me just say this… I am a huge fan of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr and a huge fan of the original film adaptation by Alex Proyas. However, the multitude of sequels, both in print and on celluloid, offered much to be desired on varying levels. ‘The Crow’ is a wonderfully dark and powerful story, so this news surprisingly affected me in a less “powerful” way than I imagined.

Stephen Norrington (a sculptor turned filmmaker) has been tapped to write and direct a “reinvention” on ‘The Crow’. In theory, I’m not entirely opposed to another film, but I am skeptical at best. Plus, the word “reinvention” does bother me a bit. Norrington isn’t a filmmaker I dislike, but also is not a filmmaker I feel has truly honed his craft enough to be “reinventing” anyone’s work.

His biggest two films to date have been the first installment of the ‘Blade’ franchise [not my favorite] and the less-than-successful [although enjoyable, in my opinion] ‘League of Extraordinary gentlemen’. By the way, Norrington hasn’t made a film since ‘LOEG’ and it also holds a bookmark in cinematic history as the straw that broke Sean Connery’s back, who [as the legend goes] chose to place himself into early retirement and never act again as a result of his experience making this movie.

“Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style,† Norrington told Daily Variety.

[source: Variety.com]