Director Stephen Norrington No Longer Involved with The Crow
Posted 10.22.10 by Ryan
Writer-director Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Blade) has been attached to a new version of The Crow since 2008, and admitted in February that he had "opened discussions with major cast but nothing is final." Those discussions seemed to be in fine form when Mark Wahlberg was rumored for the lead role earlier this week. Mania contacted Norrington about the casting, who could only confirm that he was no longer involved with the project.
I don't know about that story but I can tell you I'm no longer involved with The Crow.
Norrington explained that an unnamed star had become involved with the movie, but rejected the rewrite that musician and screenwriter Nick Cave had performed on Norrington's original draft. This actor then asked for another script from a new writer. The request was too much for Norrington.
As I had gotten involved explicitly as a writer-director my exit was inevitable. I was bummed. I had developed a genuinely authentic take that respected the source material while moving beyond it, and Nick Cave came in and added more depth. I think the fans would have been pleasantly surprised.
Norrington refused to name the actor, nor did he confirm Wahlberg, but he did advocate for the actor to play the role.
I will say I think Wahlberg could be cool if they take a gritty blue-collar approach. He's a truthful actor. I think he could really ground the supernatural stuff.
However, should Wahlberg accept the role, the movie will be without a director.