Rupert Sanders’ reimagining of The Crow hits theaters in a couple of days, and before its North American premiere, the director revealed that his take on the comic book series differs from the 1994 film in one major way: there were no actual guns allowed on set. Starring Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, and Danny Huston, The Crow centers on a resurrected musician out for revenge over the death of his fiancée. Based on its trailer and first-look photos, the film hasn’t received the warmest of welcomes thus far, but opinions could change once it premieres.
Speaking with Variety ahead of The Crow’s release, Sanders said he put safety first on the set of his film. Having learned from past tragedies such as the untimely death of Brandon Lee during the 1994 production, and the recent death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust in 2021, the director says that despite how good the special effects team may have been, he wasn’t willing to take any chances. "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… 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 ."
As such, Sanders banned any real firearms from the set of The Crow to make sure that history wouldn’t repeat itself. Instead, he used mock lookalikes made of rubber as substitutes for the real thing.