Film In 1994, a film based on the comic, titled
The Crow, was released to theaters by
Miramax Films. The film was both a critical and commercial success, earning $50,693,129 total gross during its theatrical release. A cult following, in part due to the accidental death of its star
Brandon Lee on the film's set, has maintained the film's popularity, with a regular staple of movie memorabilia being found at retailers like
Hot Topic. Three sequels have been made so far:
The Crow: City of Angels (1996), starring
Vincent Perez (as The Crow),
Mia Kirshner,
Richard Brooks and
Iggy Pop;
The Crow: Salvation (2000), starring
Eric Mabius (as The Crow),
Kirsten Dunst and
Fred Ward; and
The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005), starring
Edward Furlong (as The Crow),
David Boreanaz and
Tara Reid. In the late 1990s, a sequel/reboot to
The Crow entitled
The Crow: 2037 was in the works and would have been set in the future. It was written and scheduled to be directed by
Rob Zombie, but was ultimately cancelled. A
second film adaptation of the original 1989 comic series, directed by
Rupert Sanders and starring
Bill Skarsgård as Eric, was released on August 23, 2024, by
Lionsgate Films.
Television A
television series,
The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, aired in syndication in 1998, running for one season. An adaptation of the original comic series, it starred
Mark Dacascos as Draven.
Novels and a story collection From 1996 to 2001, a number of novels based on the world and thematic concerns of The Crow were published, mostly by
Harper. Authors of these novels included such notable names as
Chet Williamson (
City of Angels novelization and
Clash By Night),
David Bischoff (
Quoth the Crow),
Poppy Z. Brite (
The Lazarus Heart),
S. P. Somtow (
Temple of Night),
Norman Partridge (
Wicked Prayer), and
A. A. Attanasio (
Hellbound). In 1998, O'Barr and editor
Ed Kramer asked an array of
fiction writers, poets, and artists—including
Gene Wolfe,
Alan Dean Foster,
Charles de Lint,
Jack Dann,
Jane Yolen,
Henry Rollins and
Iggy Pop—to interpret this
Gothic fiction phenomenon.
The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams was released by
Random House on Halloween; and a year later, in a limited signed and numbered volume, by
Donald M. Grant Publishing.
Video games The Crow: City of Angels is a 1997 action
video game for
Sega Saturn,
Sony PlayStation and
Microsoft Windows. It is loosely based on the
film of the same name. The player assumes the role of the hero of the film, Ashe Corven. It received negative reviews. Ojom GmbH released a
j2me game called simply
The Crow.
Music There have been five albums of music related to
The Crow and its attendant films: •
Fear and Bullets (1994) – an album created through a collaboration between James O'Barr and longtime friend
John Bergin as a soundtrack to O'Barr's graphic novel
The Crow. It was originally released in 1994 along with a limited edition hardcover copy of the graphic novel. •
The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1994) – showcases the film's music by popular artists. •
The Crow: Original Motion Picture Score (1994) – original music written by
Graeme Revell for the film
The Crow; not to be confused with the soundtrack album, above. •
The Crow: City of Angels (1996) – soundtrack to the
film of the same name; features a cover of the
Fleetwood Mac song "
Gold Dust Woman" by
Hole, as well as tracks by artists such as
White Zombie,
Korn, and
Iggy Pop. Like the original
Crow soundtrack, a song by
Joy Division (one of O'Barr's favorite bands) is covered: "In a Lonely Place" by
Bush. •
The Crow: Salvation (2000) – compiled and produced by
Jeff Most. As with the soundtrack to
The Crow: City of Angels, it includes an otherwise unavailable cover version by
Hole: this time of
Bob Dylan's "
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". Several other notable contemporary artists are also featured on the soundtrack. • Metalcore band
Ice Nine Kills released the song "
A Grave Mistake" as part of their 2018
Silver Scream album. The song is directly inspired by the 1994 film. A slower, live version of the song was also released with the "Final" version of the album.
Card game The Crow is an out-of-print
collectible card game by Heartbreaker Press and
Target Games. It is based on the
comics by
James O'Barr and depicted images from the
film adaptation. It was released in November 1995 but initially had a release date of March 1995. It was one of three sets released by Heartbreaker Press and Target Games in November along with James Bond 007 and
Kult. The game was sold in
booster packs of 15 cards, but no starter packs were available. A promo card called
The Confident Crow was available by mail through proof-of-purchase order. Butcher comments that "
The Crow is a simple game that would serve as a good introduction to CCGs. There's just enough depth to give it some skill, and the game mechanics are elegant. Experienced players may find it limiting and lacking in lasting appeal". == Bibliography ==