The Crow 1994's Director Alex Proyas Is Not Holding Back On Bill Skarsgard's Remake

You can't please everyone, as the saying goes, but it isn't every day that a jilted filmmaker fires shots — both publicly and directly — at a major property that's just released in theaters. Most would probably avoid courting such headlines, but Alex Proyas isn't like most filmmakers (he said, in the understatement of the century) and the ever-vocal director isn't holding back on the newly-released remake of "The Crow." Proyas has been a veteran in this business for quite some time, directing 1998's "Dark City" (which still holds up as one of the smartest sci-fi movies ever made), "I, Robot," and, yes, the 2016 flop "Gods of Egypt." But he's perhaps most well-known for bringing the original "The Crow" to life in 1994, starring the late, great Brandon Lee in what would turn out to be his final film after a tragic on-set accident involving a firearm. There have been several attempts at remaking the film throughout the last few decades, but it's taken until this year for one to finally come to fruition ... and the results haven't been pretty, according to /Film's negative review by Witney Seibold.

"The Crow" is failing to take flight at the box office and among critics, for sure, but the harshest reactions have come courtesy of Proyas himself. In a series of social media posts on his official Facebook page, the director hasn't held back on the panned remake. The unflattering remarks began the day after the review embargo lifted, when the director screenshot a one-star review from The Guardian. As it turns out, that was nothing compared to the steady stream of commentary that'd soon follow. Over the next several days, Proyas made multiple posts mocking the film and its reception. Strap in, folks, because this gets a little ugly.

Most everyone could probably agree that "The Crow" remake bombed for a number of reasons, but director Alex Proyas isn't about to let this opportunity go by without making his voice heard. To be fair, the filmmaker has previously spoken about how he felt any remake of the original would be "unnecessary," and he hasn't softened on that stance whatsoever in the intervening eight years. Just take a gander at his Facebook page, which is littered with posts that some might consider to be below-the-belt shots aimed at those involved with the new movie. In addition to a comment where he stated simply, "Wow. The reviews are brutal," he went on to double down and point out in another post that, "Wow. Box office is a bloodbath." His most cutting remark came yesterday, where he all but gloated:

"I thought the remake was a cynical cash-grab. Not much cash to grab it seems."

Tough stuff! Unlike the vast majority of his contemporaries, Proyas has never been shy about putting his opinions out there for all to see, without any filter at all — look no further than his infamous tirade against critics in the wake of "Gods of Egypt" and its own exceedingly poor reception. Maybe there's something refreshing about an approach that could be charitably described as "Telling it like it is," but that's probably another reason why he hasn't made a single other feature film since then, too. I'm not sure director Rupert Sanders, writers Zach Baylin and William Josef Schneider, and stars Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs, and the rest of the cast deserve to catch any of these strays!

"The Crow" is currently playing in theaters.