Summary
- Director Rupert Sanders banned firearms on the set of
The Crow
. - The original 1994
The Crow
had a disaster surrounding firearms. - Sanders mentioned that safety was his utmost top priority on the set of
The Crow
.
The 2024 version of The Crow banned guns on set after what happened in the 1994 version of the film. Reimagining the classic ’90s film made 30 years earlier, The Crow sees Bill Skarsgard play Eric Draven, a man who seeks revenge post-mortem after he and his partner are brutally murdered. The original The Crow starred Brandon Lee in the Eric Draven role, who tragically died from wounds he sustained on-set as the result of a firearms malfunction wherein lead from a previous bullet remained in a gun and injured Lee when a blank was shot at him.
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Speaking with Variety, director Rupert Sanders explains why guns were not used on the set of 2024’s The Crow. Sanders explained that “film sets are very dangerous,” and there was originally a well-trained armorer who had military-like practices when working to protect the set. This did not feel like enough safety procedure for Sanders, who instead decided that The Crow should have “no firing weapons on set.” This meant that they only used Airsoft weapons that had no firing mechanism, therefore they would not have live rounds or blanks. Check out the full quote from Sanders below:
Safety is a number one priority. Film sets are very dangerous. There are fast-moving cars with cranes stuck on the top. There are stunt guys falling on high wires down steps. Even just walking around a set at night with rain machines and lights — you’re working in an industrial environment. So it’s dangerous. You have to be safe. The first day I met with the special effects department and the armorer, who was great, in Prague. They were very safety-conscious. They follow all the same guidelines as the military when dealing with weapons, but I didn’t even want to risk that.
So I said, categorically, ‘We will have no firing weapons on set,’ which means we didn’t have one gun that could have had a live round or a blank round anywhere near it ever, so that no projectile could go in. They’re all Airsoft guns, and some of them are just rubber or metal decoys that are functional but have no firing mechanism.
The beauty of the Airsoft is that the slide on a Glock will still move back, but then you have to add the shell casing. You have to add a muzzle flash and smoke, but that was a price worth paying. It took a fair bit of money out of my very limited visual effects budget, but I think it was worth it. The visual effects on this movie were very much in-camera. We were mainly a location shoot with set extension. So you have to balance where you spend the money when you don’t have a massive budget to do visual effects. But to me, that was a very worthwhile spend for everyone’s safety and comfort going into this project.
Why Guns On 2024’s The Crow Set Would Be Especially Controversial
There Was Another Recent Set Gun Tragedy
While guns would have already been controversial on this set because of the Brandon Lee shooting in the ’90s, guns on set have become even more controversial in recent years because of the Rust shooting. Filming for the movie Rust back in 2021, actor Alec Baldwin was holding a gun when it accidentally fired. This gunshot ended up wounding director Joel Souza and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The gun Baldwin was holding was not supposed to be loaded with any ammo, and as a result, this killing has led to a highly-publicized lawsuit.
The Crow movie has also been subject to enough controversy even without the potential gun drama relating to the Rust lawsuit. Lee’s death on the set of The Crow martyrized the actor to a degree, leaving his performance a beloved aspect of the original film. This led to several people thinking that The Crow should never be remade, a problem that was only further emphasized by the fact that the first images for the film left people wondering about the remake’s artistic merit.
For these reasons, it is a good idea that The Crow avoided the use of any firing weapons on set. Not only do the past disasters emphasize how vital this choice is for actors’ safety, but avoiding a gun also avoids any of the same type of controversy that The Crow and Rust faced. Sanders’ version of The Crow has already been saddled with plenty of controversy and naysaying, so keeping everything as safe and unobjectionable as possible was the right way to go.
Source: Variety
The Crow (2024)
The Crow (2024) is a dark and gritty reimagining of the original graphic novel. It follows Eric, who is resurrected from the dead to avenge his and his soulmate’s brutal murders. Armed with supernatural abilities, Eric seeks justice against the killers responsible, navigating through a corrupt city that is as much a character as he is. This adaptation introduces new elements to captivate the modern audience.
- Director
- Rupert Sanders
- Release Date
- August 23, 2024
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
- Writers
- James O’Barr , Zach Baylin
- Cast
- Bill Skarsgard , FKA Twigs , Danny Huston , Josette Simon , Laura Birn , Sami Bouajila , Jordan Bolger , Karel Dobrý
- Runtime
- 111 Minutes
- Budget
- $50 Million