New ‘The Crow’ Reboot Bans Real Guns After Brandon Lee’s Death and ‘Rust’ Tragedy

Rupert Sanders’ new adaptation of “The Crow” aims to bring fresh perspective to the classic 1989 comic. However, there’s one part of the franchise’s history that the director was determined never to repeat.

During the making of the 1994 film adaptation of “The Crow,” the star Brandon Lee tragically died in a shooting accident on set. Decades later, in October 2021, another fatal incident occurred on the set of “Rust,” where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a real round in a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin.

With these painful reminders in mind, when Sanders began shooting his film in 2022, ensuring safety on set became a top priority for him.

“Safety is a number one priority,” Sanders emphasized. “Film sets are inherently dangerous, with fast-moving cars, cranes, stunt performers, and hazardous environments. The first thing I did was meet with the special effects department and the armorer in Prague. They were exceptionally safety-conscious, adhering to military guidelines when handling weapons. But I didn’t even want to take that risk.”

“So, I made it clear: ‘We will have no firing weapons on set.’ This meant that no guns capable of firing live or blank rounds were allowed. Instead, we used Airsoft guns and some rubber or metal decoys that are functional but have no firing mechanism.”

“The Crow” reboot features “It” and “John Wick 4” star Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven, who is murdered alongside his girlfriend Shelly (played by FKA Twigs). In a state between life and death, Eric seeks revenge for their deaths. In discussing the new film, Sanders praised the usefulness of Airsoft guns on set.

“The great thing about Airsoft is that the slide on a Glock still moves back. However, we had to add shell casings, muzzle flash, and smoke digitally,” Sanders explained. “It added costs to my limited visual effects budget, but it was worth it. Most of our visual effects were captured in-camera, with locations enhanced by set extensions. Balancing the budget was challenging, but ensuring safety and comfort for everyone was a worthwhile investment.”

Following the tragic shooting on “Rust” in 2021, many high-profile actors and directors pledged to stop using real guns on film sets. Dwayne Johnson also announced to Variety that his Seven Bucks Productions would exclusively use rubber guns, emphasizing that safety would take precedence over costs.

“The Crow” is set to open in theaters on August 23.

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Source: Particle News, Variety