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Eric Draven (Graphic Novel) is the fictional protagonist in James O'Barr's The Crow, who was conceived as a vent for O'Barr to channel all his anger and pain after the tragic loss of his fiancée to a drunk driver. In the graphic novel, Eric loses his life to a gang of thugs and is forced to watch as his girlfriend Shelly is raped and beaten to death. Eric is then resurrected from the dead and begins to methodically stalk and kill the thugs one by one, aided by the crow which acts as both a guide and a goad. Eric Draven (Film) was a former heavy metal guitarist in the band Hangman's Joke. He was engaged to Shelly Webster, with their wedding scheduled for Halloween night. On the night before the holiday, known as Devil's Night, a gang led by T-Bird murdered both Shelley and Eric. Eric is resurrected by the crow one year later in order to exact revenge. Eric was played by Brandon Lee in the first film and by Mark Dacascosin the TV series. He is based on the character Eric in the graphic novel of the same name. The Crow is a fictional antihero and the protagonist of The Crow comic book series, originally created by American artist James O'Barr in 1989. The titular character is an undead vigilante brought back to life by a supernatural crow to avenge his murder and death of his fiancée. The character has subsequently appeared in several feature films, a television series, and spin-off novels and comics. In the various incarnations, films, and spin-offs, many people have taken on the Crow persona in order to avenge their own wrongful deaths. In 2011, IGN ranked the Crow 37th in the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. The Crow made his live-action debut in the 1994 The Crow portrayed by Brandon Lee. Later, The Crow was portrayed by Mark Dacascos in the 1998 television series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. The Crow is a superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his girlfriend at the hands of a drunk driver, was first published by Caliber Comics in 1989. It became an underground success, and was later adapted into a film of the same name in 1994. Three film sequels, a television series, and numerous books and comic books (published by numerous companies) have also been subsequently produced. The Crow has been translated into almost a dozen languages and has sold around 750,000 copies worldwide. The story revolves around an unfortunate young man named Eric. He and his fiancée, Shelly, are assaulted by a gang of street thugs after their car breaks down. Eric is shot in the head and is paralyzed, and can only watch as Shelly is savagely beaten, raped, and shot in the head. They are then left for dead on the side of the road. Eric later dies in the hospital operating room while Shelly is DOA. He is resurrected by a crow and seeks vengeance on the murderers, methodically stalking and killing them. When not on the hunt, Eric stays in the house he shared with Shelly, spending most of his time there lost in memories of her. Her absence is torture for him; he is in emotional pain, even engaging in self-mutilation by cutting himself. The crow acts as both a guide and goad for Eric, giving him information that helps him in his quest but also chastising him for dwelling on Shelly's death, seeing his pining as useless self-indulgence that distracts him from his purpose. In 1994, a film based on the comic (titled The Crow) was released to theaters by Miramax Films. The film was both a critical and commercial success, earning $50,693,129 total gross during its 1994 United States theatrical release. A cult following, in part due to the accidental death of its star Brandon Lee on the film's set, has maintained the film's popularity, with a regular staple of movie memorabilia being found at retailers like Hot Topic. Three sequels have been made so far: The Crow: City of Angels (1996), starring Vincent Pérez (as The Crow), Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks and Iggy Pop; The Crow: Salvation (2000), starring Eric Mabius (as The Crow), Kirsten Dunst and Fred Ward; and The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005), starring Edward Furlong (as The Crow), David Boreanaz and Tara Reid. In the late 1990s, a sequel/reboot to The Crow entitled The Crow: 2037 was in the works; it would be set in the future. It was written and scheduled to be directed by Rob Zombie, but it was ultimately cancelled. On December 14, 2008, Stephen Norrington announced in Variety that he planned to write and direct a "reinvention" of The Crow. Norrington distinguished between the original and his remake: "Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously Gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style." In 2009 Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media was negotiating with Edward R. Pressman for both the film's rights and financing. In May 2013, actor Luke Evans accepted the role of Eric Draven, with F. Javier Gutiérrez set to direct. According to James O'Barr the movie is expected to be much more faithful to the comic including flashbacks, metaphors, horses, trains and barbed wire, making it not suitable for younger audiences. Director Javier Gutiérrez also confirmed that his intentions are to create literally a page-by-page adaptation of the movie. Filming was slated to start in the spring of 2015 but on July 31, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter reported that production on the reboot stalled because of Relativity Media's bankruptcy. Corin Hardy was the next director to take on the film and O'Barr said in October 2017: As of right now, it's slated to start pre-production in February with a very talented British director named Corin Hardy. I'm involved in every aspect of the film and working closely with the director. On May 31, 2018, it was announced that both director Hardy and star Jason Momoa had exited the project. James O'Barr(born January 1,1960) is an American comics artist, writer and graphic artist, best known as the creator of the comic book series The Crow. In 1978, O'Barr enlisted in the Marines. While stationed in Germany, he illustrated combat manuals for the military. Before entering the Marines, O'Barr's fiancée, Beverly, had been killed by a drunk driver. While living in Berlin in 1981, O'Barr began work on his comic The Crow as a means of dealing with his personal tragedy. O'Barr was further inspired by a Detroit newspaper account of the murder of a young couple over a $20 engagement ring. In The Crow, the protagonist, Eric, and his fiancée, Shelley, are murdered by a gang of criminals. Eric then returns from the dead, guided by a supernatural crow, to hunt their killers. After his discharge from the Marines, O'Barr continued his painting and illustration as well as doing various odd jobs, including working for a Detroit body shop. The Crow sat on a shelf for seven years, but at last he found a publisher with Gary Reed of Caliber Press. The first miniseries was published in 1989. The Crow has since sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide. O'Barr's own hope that his project would result in a personal catharsis went unfulfilled. During an interview in 1994, he said, "[A]s I drew each page, it made me more self-destructive, if anything... There is pure anger on each page". In the 1990s O'Barr was affiliated with the experimental metal band Trust Obey, which was signed briefly to Trent Reznor's Nothing label.[citation needed] Trust Obey released the album Fear and Bullets: Music to Accompany The Crow in 1993. The album was packaged with a special edition of The Crow graphic novel. The Crow was adapted into a successful film of the same name in 1994, which was marred by the tragic death of its star, Brandon Lee, during filming. The film went on to spawn three sequels and a television series. After the success of The Crow film, O'Barr began planning a post-apocalyptic graphic novel series entitled Gothik. The series was based on The Wizard of Oz and featured "Jonny Z" from his short story "Frame 137" as the main character. In January 2013 Motionworks Entertainment released O'Barr's western comic, Sundown, which served as their debut motion comic for iPhone and iPad. He also announced his work on a comic about the Korean War, centered on the efforts of three US Marine guncrews to hold Fox Hill during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, with a different artist drawing each gun crew. In 2013, O'Barr was named as a consultant on a possible reboot of The Crow film franchise. Although previously opposed to the project, in an October 2014 interview, O'Barr spoke about his involvement in the reboot of The Crow. He discussed the approach to the adaptation and efforts being made to respect the original film. Later, in November 2014, O'Barr appeared at the Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con and stated that he was co-writing the script with screenwriter Cliff Dorfman. Source: Wikipedia