The Crow director Rupert Sanders says Bill Skarsgård quite literally threw himself into the role of Eric Draven.
"After 40 days of night shoots, there was this big tank of black oil, and I said, 'Bill, you wouldn’t like to get in there and thrash around naked for us, would you?'" Sanders tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, July 19, which features Alien: Romulus on the cover. "And he was like, 'Sure!' and jumped straight in."
Those particular images are part of the title sequence, and have been teased in the promotional clips and trailers that have been released thus far. It looks like the oil will have something to do with Eric Draven's makeup, rather than it be crudely applied with paint in a fit of rage and panic after climbing out of his grave (which occurs in the original film).
The sequels to the flagship film also have their own unique makeup montages and appliques, with The Crow: Wicked Prayer's Alex Corvus getting the signature dark eyes and painted smile after his skin melted during a botched execution by way of electric chair.
The Crow, starring Skarsgård as the titular hero, serves as a reimagining of the graphic novel by James O'Barr. Per Lionsgate, the official synopsis reads: "Soulmates Eric Draven and Shelly Webster are brutally murdered. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek revenge, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right."
The Crow hits theaters on August 23, 2024, pushed back from its original June 7 release date. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, July 19.
Check out the covers below:
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