The Unnecessary Remake: Bradley Cooper in Talks for The Crow

I have gone on record on this site as a defender of the remake/reboot/prequel craze.  While I understand why many people are upset with Hollywood’s infatuation with turning the movie-goers nostalgia into a quick buck, I also believe that, when done right, a rebooted film can be much better than any “original” work.  However, with the most recent rumors being that there is a The Crow reboot in the works potentially starring Bradley Cooper, I may have finally reached my boiling point.

I am a fanboy of many franchises so I can understand supporting a film despite its obvious flaws.  However, it is my personal belief that The Crow is a terrible movie.  The product of the popular grunge scene in the mid 1990s and the untimely death of star Brandon Lee while filming; The Crow is not a film that transcends the era in which it was made.  With a 7.6 user rating on IMDB and an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes I may go as far to say that The Crow is one of the most overrated films I’ve ever seen.  Somehow, the original spawned a series of sequels as well as a television franchise and is now going to be rebooted; but will it be a success, I doubt it.

Not to mention one professional wrestling career

Let me again point out that the success of the original film was catapulted in large part due to the popularity of grunge in 1994 and the death of the film’s star.  Consider The Dark Knight as a modern day example, yes the film was infinitely better than The Crow, but the untimely death of star Heath Ledger made his dark and destructive portrayal of the Joker seem all that more eerie (not to say Ledger did not deserve the acclaim he received).

CAPTION DELETED: Still too soon

It is worth noting that the film, The Crow, was adapted from a comic book written by James O’Barr and that source material does not dictate the “reinvention” remain stylistically similar to the first.  In fact, script writer Stephen Norrington has stated that he wants his version of The Crow to be “realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style.”  Still, given the tradition of most franchise reboots, I imagine the studio would rather stay true to the original film and not anger the franchise’s cult following. 

Because they will cut you

What Happened to Hugo, The Dark Knight Rises to Feature Bane and Catwoman

After months of rumors and speculation regarding the casting and villains of the The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros Pictures announced today via press release that Anne Hathaway will be joining the cast alongside Tom Hardy and Christian Bale for the third Batman film under Christopher Nolan’s direction.  This comes as no surprise to many as news regarding Hardy’s casting along with rumors of Anne Hathaway’s have been circulating for months.  The real question many wanted answered was which two villains would be terrorizing Gotham this time around.  Today we got that answer…

BURBANK, CA, January 19, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Christopher Nolan stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.” In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play Bane. Nolan said, “I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.” Nolan will direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan, from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner, Emma Thomas, and Charles Roven. “The Dark Knight Rises” is slated for release on July 20, 2012. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The casting of Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy as Catwoman and Bane comes as a shock to many of us who have been following the rumors and speculation regarding this film.  For Hardy, initial speculation was that he was to be cast as Killer Croc, and more recently Hugo Strange.  As for Hathaway, reportedly there were two female roles needed to be cast, one villain and one love interest.  The villain in question was thought to be Talia Al Ghul as recent as last week, but Catwoman was always an option in the back of everyone’s mind until it came to fruition today.

There is some pretty horrorific stuff back there

While I personally am not excited about either of these characters as they have both been portrayed in earlier Batman films, there was similar resentment following the announcement of Heath Ledger’s casting as the Joker for The Dark Knight and that turned out well, to say the least.  Still, it is a bit of a let-down to know we won’t see any new villains on-screen and adapted into Nolan’s universe; personally I would have loved to see Hugo Strange, Harley Quinn, and Arkham Asylum.

Wish: Granted

What is your reaction to the casting of Anne Hathaway for The Dark Knight Rises?  Are you surprised to hear that Bane and Catwoman are the next villains in the Nolan films, how does this sit with your inner fanboy?

Zack Snyder to direct Man of Steel

Superman is about to get a new look.  It was just announced that Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch) will direct the next installment in DC comic’s franchise.  Snyder was on a short list of directors Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight) had narrowed to helm the reboot, but I really didn’t expect him to be the name that was chosen.  Snyder is a good director, Dawn of the Dead (2004) is one of my favorite remakes, but he has a very distinct style that is fairly contradictory to the Nolan’s films.  Additionally, if you consider how much realism was a concern for Nolan when directing the Batman franchise, I’m surprised that he would choose Snyder for the Superman franchise. 

Upon further consideration of this choice, however, I am growing to understand and support this directorial choice.  It is evident that Snyder can handle a blockbuster film, 300 and Watchmen were both enormous successes; and like Nolan, Snyder will have a fan base draw.  Superman also has a very different tone from Batman, and Snyder’s use of a saturated color palette will be able to capture that tone adequately.  Finally, with Superman having abilities that the Dark Knight did not, the use of CGI will most likely need to be utilized, and that is also something Snyder has proven he can do well.

I trust that the project is in capable hands, but I am not yet ready to give The Man of Steel my full endorsement.  Here are few things I’d like to see from this picture:

Who will play Superman?  When done right Clark Kent/Superman is a complex character, an alien struggling to connect with the race he disguises himself as.  I hope this story as much a character piece as it is a superhero action flick.

Who will be the villain?  Lex Luthor is Superman’s primary antagonist and will undoubtably be included in this film, but we’ve seen too many roadrunner stories between Superman and Lex already in this franchise.  Superman II did a good job with General Zod, so it’s not impossible to introduce another worthy adversary.  My vote would be for Brainiac.

How much Lois Lane will we see?  Include her but downplay her, much like Rachel in The Dark Knight.

It’s likely we won’t see many of our questions about this film answered for a while, especially with Zack Snyder slated to direct Xerxes next (although that may get pushed back with this announcement).  What are your thoughts about Zack Snyder directing the next Superman movie?  What else are you hoping to see in the reboot?

An Update:

I’ve read since creating this post that Zack Snyder has announced once he’s completed Sucker Punch he’ll movie immediately into working on the next Superman.  I guess with the 2011 deadline for WB we’ll be getting more details sooner than I expected.