If ever there was a movie that couldn't take a hint, it's this The Crow remake. The universe has been trying nudge the good folks at Relativity away from this film for the last few years with a regularly rotating door of attached actors in Luke Evans, Tom Hiddleston, James McAvoy, Bradley Cooper, and Jack Huston, and a similar succession of directors including Stephen Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, F. Javier Gutierez, and most recently, Corin Hardy (The Hallow).

Then the studio itself took a dive, filing for bankruptcy last year, but Hardy and comic creator James O'Barr continued to insist that the film was definitely happening. Finally, in the last update from the beleaguered project, producer Ed Pressman fired Hardy off the project, sparking a legal battle with the studio, who claimed the move undermined years of creative and financial investment in the film. Whew. Got all that?

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Image via Dimension

Welp, now it seems Hardy might end up directing the movie after all. Deadline reports that "there might be a thaw" in the battle for the remake which could put Hardy back in the director's chair, though the report notes that there are still obstacles to overcome and another studio may step into the mix as an active partner.


In the meantime, Hardy will direct Hell Bent for Paramount, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian producing. Deadline describes the project as "The Dirty Dozen goes to hell," and provides this killer logline: "a group of mercenaries imprisoned in a Brazilian jail are murdered and led into the depths of hell by a priest who wishes to use their skills to kill Satan before he brings hell to Earth." I will watch this movie. What's even more exciting is that Hell Bent will see a return to old-school franchise building with a moderate $60 million budget that won't hinge on star power, but a cast of up-and-comers. I made an entreaty that the industry see a return to mid-budget action movies after the success of Deadpool, and I sincerely hope Paramount's move with Hell Bent is a predictor of a larger industry trend.

For more on The Crow’s woes, be sure to get caught up on our recent stories here:


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Image via Dimension Films

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