The 1994 supernatural film The Crow was dedicated to "Brandon and Eliza," and there's an even more tragic reason behind it than fans might know. The Crow, based on the comic series by the same name, is about Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), a rock musician who's resurrected from the dead to avenge his and his fiancée's death. Ironically, Lee, at the age of 28, experienced an eerily similar demise to his character. While filming, Lee was shot with a prop gun that wasn't properly checked for safety, causing his horrific death. This, along with other non-fatal filming accidents, led to allegations that The Crow's set was cursed.
Brandon Lee's fatal firearm accident on the set of The Crow was a result of a series of small decisions. During filming, Michael Massee, who played Funboy, was supposed to fire a .44-caliber revolver from 15 feet away and Lee needed to trigger a squib that could simulate the effects of a gunshot wound. Sadly, Lee took an actual hit despite the firearm being loaded with blanks. This was reportedly due to the firearm not being cleaned for any obstructions after a previous scene and the weapons specialist had already left the set.
The Crow's "For Brandon and Eliza" Dedication Explained
Both Brandon Lee And Eliza Hutton Were Honored
Whereas Brandon Lee's dedication in the end credits of The Crow was self-explanatory, Eliza's may not have been. Eliza Hutton was Lee's fiancée and supported director Alex Proyas' choice to complete the movie, even though she was grieving. While supportive of completing the film, Hutton had no direct creative input in the continuation of the film, and a source close to her shared, "[Hutton] was unable to look at the film objectively" (via EW).
Hutton openly pleaded for production companies to deviate from using real weapons on sets following her loss (via People), and helped realize his final work by supporting its continuation. Naturally, Lee was mentioned in the film's dedication as a way to honor his performance and hard work on the film.
With only flashback sequences left to film, most of his scenes were already done when his untimely death occurred. Devastated at losing her fiancé about a couple weeks before their wedding, Hutton's agreement to have production continue was integral to its completion. Therefore, her belief in Lee and his work led to a dedication in his final film.
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With the recent buzz around the (currently stalled) reboot, we thought it would be a good time to look back at the making of the original The Crow.
The Crow Was Almost Never Finished After Brandon Lee's Death
Even With Hutton's Blessing There Were Additional Obstacles
Despite Eliza Hutton's go-ahead for filming on The Crow to continue after Brandon Lee's tragic on-set accident, there were other more logistical obstacles. Firstly, time and money were a factor. Originally slated for distribution under Paramount, The Crow was halted for several months while cast and crew grieved and Proyas and co-producer Ed Pressman began rewriting scenes to account for Lee's absence.
Due to the delay and the negative press, Paramount dropped the film, and it was later picked up by Miramax. Aside from Lee's death, other accidents plagued production, such as hurricanes that destroyed sets, a crew member nearly dying after being electrocuted, and a prop truck catching fire (via AV Club).
Incomplete scenes involving Lee's character also posed a problem. In rewrites, partial scenes of Lee became silent montages and certain characters were cut, such as Skull Cowboy. Stuntpeople Chad Stahelski (Lee's body double) and Jeff Cadiente (originally, Lee's stunt double) stood in. However, to get around any resemblance issues, scenes that needed Lee's character were filmed in long shots.
This trumped the original idea of having foam-rubber life masks cast from Lee’s face for the doubles. Despite challenges and the haunting link to Lee's death, The Crow's commercial success and cult following established it as a frozen-in-time tribute to Lee and his dedication to his craft.
Eliza Hutton Has Become An Advocate For Gun Safety On Movie Sets
Brandon Lee's Fiancé Spoke Out In The Wake Of The Tragic Accident On The Set Of Rust
Brandon Lee's death was a tragic accident that raised serious questions about the safety of using real guns on movie sets. Sadly, these questions were never truly answered by the industry, and the 1993 incident on the set of The Crow that took his life repeated itself in 2021. As was widely publicized, a fatal misfire of a weapon mistakenly deemed as disarmed took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Alec Baldwin's Western movie Rust.
The incident sent shockwaves through the film industry, both because of how avoidable it was in retrospect, and because it highlighted just how little had changed since Brandon Lee was killed on the set of The Crow decades earlier in 1993. The similarities between the circumstances prompted Eliza Hutton to speak out about the tragic incident, and was the first time in decades she'd publicly commented on both Lee's death and the changes that should have been made to avoid it repeating(via People):
"Twenty eight years ago, I was shattered by the shock and grief of losing the love of my life, Brandon Lee, so senselessly. My heart aches again now for Halyna Hutchins' husband and son, and for all those left in the wake of this avoidable tragedy. I urge those in positions to make change to consider alternatives to real guns on sets."
Eliza Hutton's comments are both incredibly poignant, and a stark reminder of the personal loss felt when a public figure loses their life due to unsafe practices on film sets. Hutton also posted a photo of herself and Brandon Lee when they got engaged with the caption "There's no such thing as a prop gun." The deaths of both Brandon Lee and Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins could have and should have been avoided, and hopefully there'll be serious changes when it comes to on-set safety to ensure the pain Eliza Hutton still feels doesn't have to be felt by anyone else in the future.
Does The Crow 2024 Have An End Credits Scene?
The Remake Missed An Opportunity To Pay Homage To Brandon Lee And Eliza Hutton
The Crow remake arrived in 2024, starring Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven, the part played by Brandon Lee in the original. Due to the legacy left both by Brandon Lee's incredible performance and his tragic on-set accident, it's safe to say that both Skarsgard and director Rupert Sanders had big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, judging by the reviews, The Crow 2024 failed to live up to the original, and the director behind the 1994 original, Alex Proyas, has even gone so far as to state that the remake dishonors the memory of Brandon Lee.
While response to the fact that The Crow was being remade in the first place was met with instant skepticism, a key question fans of the original had when the movie hit theaters was if the 2024 remake had a post-credits scene. While this is often a question with superhero movies (because it suggests a sequel tease), with The Crow there was another reason for the query. A post-credits scene would have been the perfect moment for The Crow 2024 to honor Brandon Lee in some way.
Sadly, there is no post-credits scene for The Crow 2024. The movie itself doesn't go out of its way to acknowledge Brandon Lee or the original, either, which was considered by many viewers to be a key oversight. While there's a "blink and you'll miss it" nod to Lee in the form of some graffiti of his name alongside some white flowers (as seen at his funeral) in a background shot, The Crow 2024 mostly feels like it's trying to distinguish itself from the 1994 film it's remaking. Whether this goes as far as dishonoring Brandon Lee's legacy is subjective, but there is definitely an argument to be made that the remake could have done more to acknowledge him.
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Based on the comic series, The Crow is a supernatural-action film that follows a murdered musician who returns from the dead for vengeance. Eric Draven and his fiancee are murdered during a violent home invasion - but supernatural forces have other plans for Draven. Resurrected by the power of a mysterious crow, the now superpowered Draven takes on the mantle of "The Crow" and seeks revenge against the entire gang that killed him and his wife.
- Director
- Alex Proyas
- Release Date
- May 13, 1994
- Cast
- Brandon Lee , Ernie Hudson , Michael Wincott , Rochelle Davis , Bai Ling , Sofia Shinas , Anna Levine , David Patrick Kelly
- Runtime
- 102 Minutes
- Franchise(s)
- The Crow
- Sequel(s)
- The Crow: City of Angels , The Crow: Salvation , The Crow: Wicked Prayer