No firearms were used on the set of The Crow

Instead, the director had to use some ingenuity and a bit of special effects to make the use of the fake Airsoft guns seem believable.

Exactly thirty years ago, the first part and first adaptation of the comic The Crow came out at the cinema, with Brandon Lee in the role of the vengeful and justificatory raven. This year, Bill Skarsgard grows wings in the remake signed Rupert Sanders. Totally freeing itself from its elders, it is not only in aesthetics that The Crow 2.0 takes on a new plumage. Because there is indeed a lesson that has been learned from the previous opus…

On May 31, 1993, while Brandon Lee was filming one of the final scenes of The Crow where he is shot, he receives real bullets instead of the intended blanks. Seriously wounded, he dies in hospital at the age of 28. Since that day, the film has the reputation of being cursed. Working the director of the new adaptation, this accident convinced him not to use a firearm on its filming.

Interviewed by VarietyRupert Sanders explained:

“Safety is our number one priority. Film sets are very dangerous. There are cars going at full speed with cranes overhead, stuntmen falling down stairs on cables. Even walking on a set with the rain machines and lights – you're working in an industrialised environment. So of course it's dangerous. You have to be careful.”

Although he met with a gunsmith beforehand, the latter was adamant about the use of firearms on set:

“Meaning we didn't have a single weapon that could have had live or blank ammunition in it nearby, so no projectile could have entered it.”

Instead, Airsoft guns and other rubber and metal guns were used – all of which were incapable of firing even blanks. The flashes and smoke from the gunshots were created by special effects.

“It cost more than the limited budget I had for special effects, but it was worth it.”

For a few dollars, the director bet on the safety of his team.

What is the reboot/remake of The Crow worth? [critique]

Beyond the death of Brandon Lee, Rupert Sanders' choice was reinforced by the accident that occurred on the set of Rust where, on October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin, training for his role, fired the fatal shot. Among the two injured was cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who later died.

The tragedy led the gunsmith and the actor to court for involuntary manslaughter. The former was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial has been canceled!

Sanders is not the first director to make the decision to ban firearms from his films. Last year, Guy Ritchie made the ban for his upcoming films. Many creative figures in the film industry are hoping to see firearms banned from film sets.

As for The Crowthe film was released this Wednesday, August 21 in theaters.