With the superhero movie renaissance now fully upon us, no comic book property is being left untouched and James O’Barr’s series The Crow is no exception. Originally and most famously adapted into a 1994 film starring Brandon Lee in the title role, a reboot of The Crow has been in development for years with various actors, writers and directors attached to it.

Now it seems that The Crow might finally be ready to start heading into production. Dracula Untold star Luke Evans has signed on to play to lead role of vengeful undead vigilante Eric Draven, while director F. Javiér Gutierrez became attached as director several years ago and has been patiently waiting ever since. The current version of the screenplay was drafted by musician and writer Nick Cave, and Evans has said that it will be “authentic and loyal to the original comic.”

With other anti-hero movies like Suicide Squad and Deadpool now destined for the big screen over the next few years, the timing is ideal for The Crow reboot, and THR reports that Relativity Media and The Weinstein Company may finally be getting things in motion. Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival’s opening night, The Crow producer Ed Pressman revealed that he hopes to begin production in spring 2015. If this goes ahead, The Crow could be lining up for a 2016 release.

Pressman also played up the fact that Eric Draven is not like regular superheroes, describing The Crow as “the anti-Spider-Man.” He also said that, despite the age of the comic book and the original film, The Crow “still has a big fan base” and there is now a whole new generation that can be introduced to the character.

While it might be assumed that being released as part of a current popular trend would boost the popularity of The Crow, the flipside of that is the risk of oversaturation when it comes to comic book movies. With over 40 DC and Marvel movies potentially hitting theaters over the next six years, The Crow could end up being dwarfed by the competition.

As with any movie, though, all The Crow really needs is one really great trailer to draw audiences in. And with Dracula Untold performing respectably (if not outstandingly) at the box office and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (with Evans reprising as Bard the Bowman) set for release in December, Evans himself could end up being a big selling point.

The Crow doesn’t yet have a release date, but we’ll keep you updated as production continues.

http://screenrant.com/crow-reboot-start-date-2015/