Comic Book Reboot Set to be the New "Anti-Marvel Film"

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) conquered pop culture, comic book movies had an up-and-down success rate in Hollywood. DC led the charge with blockbusters like Richard Donner’s Superman (1978) and Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). Then, Marvel would have huge franchises with X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002). This paved the way for the MCU starter Iron Man (2008). However, these hits would lead to an overflow of projects, which has been coined “superhero fatigue” at the box office. One producer now seeks to make the “Anti-Marvel film.”

Comic book movies were not always associated with superheroes. Many studios attempted to pull rich source material from adaptations from various comics. Unfortunately, their lack of a global brand outside the comic book world led to dismal box office numbers. However, many of these movies would become cult classics, like Touchstone’s Dick Tracy (1990), Disney’s The Rocketeer (1991), Universal’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), and Miramax’s The Crow (1994).

The Crow was a filmmaking achievement with a tragic outcome. It was a non-mainstream comic book movie based on the 1989 comic series of the same name by James O’Barr. The film deviated from the bright colors and costumes of the genre to deliver a visually immersive gothic punk style.

The story centered around a murdered rockstar (Brandon Lee) who returns as an entity of pure vengeance to exact his retribution on the criminals responsible for the murder of him and his fiancé. Its anti-hero was played Brandon Lee, a rising star and son of martial arts legend, Bruce Lee. Unfortunately, towards the end of production a prop gun malfunctioned during an action sequence. Lee was accidentally struck and killed with the lead tip of a bullet used in a previous scene.

Lee’s death, coupled with the dark tone of the movie did not galvanize moviegoers to watch The Crow when it was released in theaters. However, good word-of-mouth would eventually build a devoted 30-year following that eventually led to Lionsgate acquiring the rights to do a remake. Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders, has helmed the project with It star, Bill Skarsgård, set to play the avenging aberration.

Producer, Sam Pressman, expressed he is excited for this reimagining. He wants to honor the dark mind of the original. Pressman continued, “I think the movie is just going to blow people away…it’s such a unique property in that it is not a studio film, it’s not a Marvel film – it’s kind of an anti-Marvel film.”

The premise alone separates it from the typical Marvel formula. Yet, there is no certainty that it can break the “superhero fatigue” curse plaguing many studio projects. The film wrapped production in September 2022. Yet, its post-production was halted due to the writers and actors strikes.

The Crow has no release date, but is set to come out theatrically in 2024.

What do you think of Pressman’s comments? Will this be the future of comic book movies?