Where to watch The Crow (1994)

Trivia & production notes

• James O'Barr created the comic that became The Crow as a way to process his fiancée's death at the hands of a drunk driver.
• A studio's initial pitch for The Crow involved making it a musical with Michael Jackson in the lead role.
• O'Barr turned down a substantial offer from New Line Cinema to workshop the film with writer John Shirley and producer Jeff Most instead.
• Director Alex Proyas was chosen after producer Edward Pressman focused primarily on recruiting music video and commercial directors.
• Brandon Lee initially faced skepticism from O'Barr, who worried Lee wasn't right for the role, but Lee eventually convinced him otherwise.
• Brandon Lee lost 20 pounds for the role and personally choreographed his action sequences with Jeff Imada while performing most of his own stunts.
• The film's prop crew made improvised dummy cartridges by removing powder from live ammunition but leaving the primer intact, which could still propel a bullet if ignited.
• An unsupervised actor fired the gun loaded with a primed dummy cartridge two weeks before Lee's fatal accident, potentially lodging a bullet in the barrel that was never detected.
• Miramax Films acquired distribution rights and invested an additional $8 million to complete the film after Paramount withdrew due to production delays and controversy.
• Chad Stahelski, Lee's stunt double, was used as a stand-in for unfinished scenes, with digital face replacement technology superimposing Lee's face onto the double's body.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Crow (1994 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.