Actors Who Were Almost Cast In The Crow Reboot

"The Crow" may be cursed. The original 1994 film, based on a popular James O'Barr graphic novel, was directed by Alex Proyas and spawned three film sequels and a TV series. A long-awaited remake was first announced way back in 2008, alongside the news Relativity Media was bargaining with producer Ed Pressman over financing and acquiring the property. Stephen Norrington, best known for "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," was initially tapped to write and direct the feature. However, as the process developed, creative differences led to his departure, and a new team was hired. 

That was just the beginning of one of the most beleaguered attempts to get a film off the ground in cinema history. There have been countless failed attempts to get the reimagining in the can, and each one has fallen apart either due to scheduling conflicts or numerous other creative decisions. In the lead role of Eric Draven (first played by Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed during the making of the original film), a musician who is murdered and later brought to life by a supernatural crow, every A-list leading man has been considered. As you'll see in this deep dive, there are the usual suspects on the list as well as several unexpected names.

Alexander Skarsgård was in the throes of his wildly popular role as Eric Northman in "True Blood" when a report circulated that he was next in line for "The Crow" remake. Deadline first claimed conversations with Tom Hiddleston were "overhyped" and then stated Skarsgård was being eyed for the film.

"No formal offer yet, but it sounds to me like it's Skarsgård's role if he wants it," journalist Mike Fleming Jr. wrote in the news piece. Keep in mind, that these conversations (or lack thereof) were happening concurrently with many other names on this list. The studio was simply scrambling for any big name that would draw attention.

Before you know it, Alexander Skarsgård's name faded from the headlines, and everyone moved on. "The Crow" remake once again found itself hanging in limbo. A few years later, in 2015, Jack Huston exited the film, and Nicholas Hoult and Jack O'Connell were two additional names bandied around as potential replacements.

Believe it or not, Mark Wahlberg was offered the lead sometime in mid-2010. With Stephen Norrington directing, musician Nick Cave reportedly was on deck to revise the script. "[We've got an offer out] to a major actor and things are moving ahead very aggressively, with the aim of doing the film this year," producer Edward Pressman teased to MTV that summer.

Yet, that's as far as it goes. They were only talking. A month after news initially broke, Wahlberg went on record about what was actually happening behind the scenes. "We never committed to making the movie," he explained. "They talked to me about it, and there was a director attached who I was a fan of, and he's no longer doing it. We just thought about it — 'is there something cool to be done there?' But we're not committed to making the movie."

Wahlberg was once again considered for the role in 2011 after Bradley Cooper officially dropped out.

In the aftermath of Bradley Cooper's departure, Channing Tatum was a name thrown into the ring for the iconic role. He appeared alongside another A-lister, Mark Wahlberg, in a report published with The Hollywood Reporter. "It's too early to tell what will happen with either Tatum or Walhberg, or whether other actors join the fray, although Relativity is keen on not wasting time," the report read.

At the time, Tatum was striking gold with numerous high-profile credits, including "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," "Dear John," and "10 Years." He was something of a hot commodity, and his casting would have been a no-brainer for producers — for better or worse. Unfortunately, any mention of talks or negotiations were kept under wraps, if they happened at all.

In the same report, journalist Borys Kit went on to note the ongoing legal issues regarding distribution rights around the IP. It's not made explicitly clear, but that could have very well been a huge reason for the film's troubled history.

"The Crow" swooped back into the conversation when Deadline reported that the studio was looking at Jack Huston for the role of Eric Draven in early 2015. A month later, the "Boardwalk Empire" actor officially signed on. Production was expected to ramp up a few months later with Corin Hardy directing.

By summer, Huston left the project. Director Corin Hardy noted Huston was simply "unavailable to continue with us," leaving many to question if it was due to creative differences, studio interference, or scheduling.

During promotion for "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," Collider picked Huston's brain about why he dropped out. "I was so sad. I had a great relationship with everyone. Luckily, that's all fine. It's a scheduling thing," he said. "It was just a scheduling conflict. We were all so jazzed to do it. It was one of the hard decisions. I just want them to just go and make a great movie, so I'm just putting my heart out and saying I love everything about those guys."

Casting Eric Draven has been a revolving door of big names, and rarely has there been casting news around other pivotal film characters. During Corin Hardy's first test, Andrea Riseborough reportedly signed on to play the villain Top Dollar, a typically male character played by Michael Wincott in the original film.

Around the same time, Forest Whitaker was "in negotiations" to appear. Previously, filmmaker F. Javier Gutierrez considered Whitaker for the role of Mulligan, a riff on the graphic novel's T-Bird character that becomes a prominent evil force against Eric. Mulligan only appears in Cliff Dorfman's script. For a time, Dorfman's script was making the rounds in Hollywood to lure potential talent to the table. "Let me be very clear — it was my script that was going around. It was my script that got Jason Momoa. It was my script that got Andrea Riseborough," Dorfman told Bloody Disgusting. "Every version that was sent out was mine. There was no "Crow Reborn." If there ever was, which I've done copious research to find out, no one has seen a draft."

When Jack Huston exited, there was no indication made in reports of either Riseborough's or Whitaker's involvement in the film. To this day, no statement has been issued.