For the most part, it seems that fans ofThe Crowdo not have much faith in the upcoming reimagining.But could the new rating change some minds?According toFilmRatings.com, this year’s iteration of the Gothic superhero The Crow has now beenofficially rated R, and promises to be even darker, more intense, and more violent than the 1994 original.
Just like its predecessor,The Crowhas been stamped with an R rating for “Strong bloody violence, gore, language, sexuality/nudity, and drug use.” However, unlike the 90s take, it sounds like the reimagining will push the envelope further, withthe Brandon Lee moviebeing given the same rating for “a great amount of strong violence and language, and for drug use and some sexuality.” Only time will tell whether more gore makes for a better version ofThe Crow.

Brandon Lee’s Role in The Crow Was Already Remade and Recast 25 Years Ago
The job of reassigning the titular role of The Crow is enough to drive casting directors to a mental breakdown.
Based on the 1989 comic created by James O’Barr, the story ofThe Crowrevolves around a young man named Eric, who is forced to watch his fiancée, Shelly, murdered by a gang of street thugs after their car breaks down. Eric is then shot and later dies in hospital. But he is soon resurrected by a mysterious crowand seeks vengeanceon the murderers, stalking and killing them while dealing with the loss of Shelly. You can check out the official synopsis for the reimagining below:

“Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.”
Directed by Rupert Sanders from a screenplay by Zach Baylin and Will Schneider,The Crowstars Bill Skarsgårdas Eric Draven, aka The Crow and FKA Twigs as Shelly Webster, as well as Isabella Wei as Zadie, Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, and Jordan Bolger.

An Early Reaction Calls The Crow Reimagining ‘Unwatchable’
Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role of THE CROW in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. Soulmates Eric (Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
While this year’s reimagining ofThe Crowmay promise more violence and sex, this may not be enough to save it, with the first reaction declaring the movieto be nothing less than “unwatchable.”The (now deleted) response comes courtesy of Warrior writer Cliff Dorfman, who was attached toThe Crowfor years before the studio decided to head off in a different direction, and he recently took to social media to share his thoughts on what he saw. And it sounds like the studio may have taken a wrong turn…

“If hypothetically, one happened to see a screening of @TheCrow_Movie #thecrow which @Lionsgate is releasing in August, one might say, it’s horrible, it’s unwatchable, don’t waste your money, or can’t believe it’s so much worse than the original. It is. And don’t.”
This is far from the only negative reaction to the project, with lead actor Bill Skarsgårdtaking issue with the movie’s ending. While speaking withEsquirerecently, Skarsgård revealed that he has some concerns about the ending of The Crow, which will seemingly leave the door ajar for a sequel. The actor said…

“I personally preferred something more definitive.”
The Crowis set to be released on July 05, 2025, and you can check out the latest trailer below.