Watchmen co-scribe Alex Tse has signed on to pen Relativity's "reinvention" of The Crow. Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) and potentially starring Bradley Cooper who is attached, the pic is expected to reboot James O'Barr's Eric Draven character for moviegoers who are perhaps too indifferent to check out Brandon Lee's stellar 1994 turn and/or gluttons for punishment. Relativity's press release claims that the project is expected to be "gritty" but, considering that Draven is a man who returns from the grave seeking vengeance on his wife's killer, it's hard to conceive the iconic goth tale as coming off any other way (romantic comedy, anyone?).

While I may be opposed to the notion of rebooting The Crow franchise, my opposition has nothing to do with Tse's inclusion. I really enjoyed he and David Hayter's Watchmen and thought the changes they made to the story actually worked better on screen than what the source material may have. In addition to both Watchmen and The Crow, Tse has also penned Ninja Scroll for Warner Bros. and co-wrote/executive produced Spike Lee's TV movie Sucker Free City which premiered on Showtime back in 2004. Hit the jump to check out the full press release.

the-crow-movie-poster

Here's the release:

(Beverly Hills, CA) June 22, 2011 – Relativity Media’s President of Worldwide Production, Tucker Tooley, and Edward R. Pressman, producer behind the cult-classic The Crow franchise, announced today they have attached Alex Tse (Watchmen) to write their reinvention of The Crow, the 1994 critically acclaimed, sensation based on the comic book series and comic strip by James O’Barr.

Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later), The Crow adaptation will be a gritty  reboot of the gothic iconic character Eric Draven, who returns from the grave as The Crow on a mission to avenge his wife’s murder, so that his soul can finally rest. Bradley Cooper (Limitless) is attached to star as Draven. The original film is known for its breakthrough visual style as well as its unique production design and cinematography.  Fresnadillo and Tse are perfectly suited to bring these beloved characters back to life, and to create a world worthy of this modern classic.

Relativity and Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation will be teaming with Spain-based Apaches Entertainment on the production. The Crow is being produced by Edward R. Pressman, Jeff Most, Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, and Apaches’ Enrique López Lavigne and Belén Atienza. Relativity’s Tooley (The Fighter) and Apaches’ Jesus de la Vega will serve as executive producers. José Ibáñez and Pressman Film Corporation’s Jon Katz will serve as co-producers.

Tse is represented by CAA, Margaret Riley at Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and attorney Ira Scheck of Schreck Rose & Dapello.

Looking ahead, Relativity will release David Ellis’ Shark Night 3D on September 2, 2011 and then the highly-anticipatedImmortals on November 11, 2011, starring Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans and Kellan Lutz with John Hurt and Mickey Rourke. The studio is in production on its Untitled Snow White Project (in theatres March 16, 2012), starring Lily Collins as Snow White, Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen, Armie Hammer as Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen. Relativity’s expansive 2012 slate also includes itsHaywire (in theaters January 20, 2012), Untitled Raven Project (in theatres March 9, 2012), Untitled Farrelly/Wessler Project(in theatres April 13, 2012), House at the End of the Street (in theatres April 20, 2012), Safe Haven (in theatres June 1, 2012) and Hunter Killer (in theatres December 21, 2012). The studio recently announced the groundbreaking action-thriller Act of Valor will join its 2012 slate, with an exact date to be announced.