'The Crow' Director Alex Proyas Is Critical of the Film's Upcoming Remake

Brandon Lee in 1994's "The Crow."

LOS ANGELES – With much backlash to the upcoming remake of “The Crow” after the release of its trailer recently, Alex Proyas, the director of the original 1994 film, also echoed the film’s detractors and shared his belief on Facebook that The Crow should remain the legacy of Brandon Lee.

“I really don’t get any joy from seeing negativity about any fellow filmmakers work,” he wrote. “And I’m certain the cast and crew really had all good intentions, as we all do on any film. So it pains me to say any more on this topic, but I think the fan’s response speaks volumes. THE CROW is not just a movie. Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss. It is his legacy. That’s how it should remain.”

The upcoming film stars Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs in a modern take of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. The movie was directed by Rupert Sanders from a script by Zach Baylin.

The original film tells the story of guitarist Eric Draven who is brought back to life by a crow a year after he and his fiancée are murdered. The crow guides him through the land of the living, and leads him to his killers: knife thrower Tin-tin, drugetic Funboy, car buff T-Bird, and the unsophisticated Skank. One by one, Eric gives these thugs a taste of their own medicine.

Lee, the son of the late Bruce Lee, was hailed by many critics for his portrayal of the retribution-seeking Draven.

The film was Brandon Lee’s final role after he accidentally shot himself with gun loaded with blanks. The force of the gunpowder drove the blank’s wadding into his brain, causing the fatal injury since the gun was held close to his head.