2024’sThe Crowwasn’t the successful adaptation some were hoping for, and one of its most criticized elements is its ending, which Bill Skarsgård had already shared he didn’t like.2024 is a big year for Bill Skarsgårdwith different projects that will showcase his acting skills. First was the action comedyBoy Kills World, and Skarsgård carried on with the action (though now with a much darker tone) inThe Crow. Directed by Rupert Sanders,The Crowis a new adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic book seriesof the same name, which was famously adapted into a movie in 1994.
The Crowfollows Eric (Skarsgård), a young man with a troubled past who meets Shelly (FKA Twigs) at a rehab center. Eric and Shelly fall in love and escape, but the crime boss who had been looking for Shelly eventually finds her and has her and Eric killed. Eric is revived not long after and given the ability to heal from all injuries, so he goes on a revenge mission against his and Shelly’s murderers.The Crowis fast and violent, butit also changes Eric’s mission, giving him a different endingthat wasn’t the favorite of many, including Skarsgård.
Bill Skarsgård Confirmed He Doesn’t Like The Crow’s Ending Months Before Its Release
Bill Skarsgård Was Very Honest About The Crow
Sanders’The Crowdrew a lot of controversysince its announcement, as for a long time it was believed it was a remake of Alex Proyas’ 1994 movie, starring Brandon Lee. The project went through many changes since 2008, with different directors and actors coming and going before finally moving forward with Sanders as director and Bill Skarsgård as Eric. Controversy arose again when the first look at Skarsgård’s Eric was revealed, and conversation aroundThe Crowcontinued since then, though not exactly for the best.
Skarsgård toldEsquirethat he “personally preferred something more definitive”.
BeforeThe Crow’s release,Skarsgård opened up about the projectand gave his very honest perspective on the movie’s ending. Without spoiling anything, Skarsgård toldEsquirethat he “personally preferred something more definitive”,implying thatThe Crowleft the door open for a sequel, which wasn’t the case with the previous adaptation. Both Proyas and Sanders’ adaptations ofThe Crowfocused on Eric’s revenge mission, but the latter changed key parts of it. In it, Eric, after a moment of doubt, dies again and returns to the afterlife.
10 Biggest Differences Between The Crow 2024 & The Original Movie
The 2024 version of The Crow takes a lot of liberties with the source material, introducing new characters, powers, and motivations to the story.
Eric negotiates his way back to the land of the living and offers his life in exchange for Shelly’s, and so he returns and continues his mission. After Eric kills demonic crime lord Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston),Eric saves Shelly’s soul and they briefly reunite in the afterlife before Shelly is revivedon the night of their deaths, while Eric stays in the afterlife, sure that his and Shelly’s souls will reunite again one day.
Did The Crow 2024 Change Its Ending After Bill Skarsgård’s Comments?
Of course,Sanders responded to Skarsgård’s comments about the endingofThe Crow, saying he didn’t think that was true at all and that it gave a decisive conclusion to Eric without the possibility of a sequel (viaVariety). In that same interview,Sanders shared he and Skarsgård watched different endings togetherand he probably cut around 20. Sanders went on to defendThe Crow’s endingby saying it was the right one, it was unexpected, not happy, and doesn’t leave room for a sequel (or, at least, that wasn’t the intention).
Skarsgård hasn’t commented onThe Crow’s ending again since the movie came out, so it’s unclear if the movie went through a last-minute change or if the ending in the final cut is the one he talked about.Details about the other endings haven’t been revealedand it’s unknown if they will ever be released, but it doesn’t seem like Sanders changed the ending he had planned forThe Crowafter Skarsgård shared his disappointment.
Why The Crow 2024’s Ending Doesn’t Work
The Crow Might Have Performed Better With A Different Ending
The ending ofThe Crowdoesn’t work mostly because it doesn’t make sense. When Shelly returns at the end ofThe Crow, she does so on the night she and Eric died, and she’s revived by paramedics.Eric’s completed mission basically sent Shelly back in time, but it would be understood that Roeg and company are still dead, leaving a lot of questions about how exactly this whole resurrection thing works in this specific version ofThe Crow.
Even if Sanders didn’t intend it that way, Shelly coming back to life leaves the door (even if slightly) open for a sequel.
Of course, this messy ending inevitably drew comparisons to that of Proyas’ version, which is arguably more tragic though in a more poetic way, to put it one way. Eric didn’t make a deal in the afterlife and he simply returned to avenge his and Shelly’s deaths, and once he was done, Shelly’s spirit came back for him and they reunited in the afterlife. Even if Sanders didn’t intend it that way, Shelly coming back to life leaves the door (even if slightly) open for a sequel, and the track record ofThe Crowfranchise proves that’s a bad idea.
Sources:Esquire,Variety.
The Crow
The Crow (2024) is a dark and gritty reimagining of the original graphic novel. It follows Eric, who is resurrected from the dead to avenge his and his soulmate’s brutal murders. Armed with supernatural abilities, Eric seeks justice against the killers responsible, navigating through a corrupt city that is as much a character as he is. This adaptation introduces new elements to captivate the modern audience!
