1978 – 2005
James O’Barr writes the original The Crow comics as catharsis after the death of his fiancée. They're eventually published for the first time in 1989. Alex Proyas directs the classic film adaptation in 1993, but star Brandon Lee is killed on the set in a tragic accident. The film is completed and released in 1994. Actress Rochelle Davis – with a single exception – has never acted again. Three poor sequels follow between 1996 and 2005: City of Angels, Salvation and Wicked Prayer. None do anything to elevate the franchise; Salvation is released straight to DVD in the UK a full four years after its soundtrack album. There's also a Canadian TV series, Stairway To Heaven, in 1999. It lasts a single season.
December, 2008
Blade director Stephen Norrington begins working on a remake.
July, 2010
Nick Cave has a crack at the screenplay. There is talk of Mark Wahlberg being offered the lead, but he passes on the project.
October, 2010
Norrington walks over creative differences.
June, 2011
28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo signs on. Watchmen screenwriter Alex Tse is the latest to attempt a draft of the screenplay.
August, 2011
Bradley Cooper is offered the lead but declines. He's also developing Paradise Lost with Alex Proyas at the time, so the two things are possibly not unconnected. Relativity Media and The Weinstein Company get into a spat over the rights. Fresnadillo quits.
January, 2012
With Relativity and the Weinsteins friends again, The Fall’s director F. Javier Gutiérrez signs on. Another new screenplay is underway, this time by the little-known Jesse Wigutow. He'll later be attached to the developing Tron Legacy sequel too.
May, 2013
After some rumours around Tom Hiddleston and James McAvoy, Luke Evans signs up to play Eric Draven.
December, 2014
Gutiérrez drops out in favour of Ring sequel Rings. Corin Hardy replaces him.
January, 2015
March, 2015
Jack Huston signs up to star. There's also, for the first time, news of another character's casting. Andrea Riseborough is in talks to play head villain Top Dollar.
June, 2015
August, 2015
Rights holders Relativity Media declare bankruptcy, throwing the whole future of the project into question.
October, 2015
Relativity’s TV assets are in the process of being sold off, but a reorganised iteration of the company may yet keep its film slate. Corin Hardy is still attached and paid a holding fee. He hopes to begin shooting in March, 2016.
March, 2016
Kevin Spacey's producing partner Dana Brunetti takes over as Relativity's new president of production running TV and film operations. Corin Hardy is apparently let go as Brunetti seeks to reboot once again from scratch under his own guidance. Hardy, for whom The Crow remains a passion project, tells Empire the legal/rights situation is such that his involvement may still not be over after all.
August, 2016
While no official announcement is forthcoming from Relativity, Jason Momoa posts a photo of himself on his Instagram account, with Hardy, strongly intimating that he is the new Crow and Hardy remains attached. "The only way to officially seal the deal as men is a pint of black beauty (Guinness)," Momoa writes, followed by, "#sealthedeal #greatnewstocome #dreamjob #cantwaittotelltheworld." He also says "Aloha Ed," presumably hailing producer and rights-holder Ed Pressman.
September, 2016
Shooting is reportedly scheduled for January, 2017.
February, 2017
Hardy signs on to direct Conjuring* spin-off *The Nun. Production is underway by May.
September, 2017
The Crow is no longer developing at Relativity, and jumps nests to Sony Pictures. Edward R. Pressman and Samuel Hadida remain with the project as producers. Insiders believe Hardy and Momoa also remain attached.
March, 2018
Sony announces a release date for The Crow of 11 October, 2019. Hardy will direct and Momoa will star.
May, 2018
Sony's announcement is apparently premature. With pre-production well underway, "creative and financial differences" and the lack of a finalised deal between Sony and part-rights-holder Samuel Hadida stall the project. Hardy and Momoa formally quit, shutting the whole thing down once more.