10 Terrible TV Adaptations Of Classic Films (That Everybody Forgot About)
5. The Crow
Adaptation Of – The Crow (1994)
The Crow has something of a tumultuous cinematic history. James O’Barr’s comic, written in response to his girlfriend being killed by a drunk driver, became a cult success following its release in 1989 and was quickly optioned for the screen in 1994.
Alex Proyas’ film will always be overshadowed by the death of Brandon Lee on set. A real gun loaded loaded with blanks and set to be used as a prop was not properly checked and an actual bullet was still lodged in the chamber, resulting in Brandon (son of Bruce) being shot.
A number of low budget direct-to-video sequels followed, all of which were critically panned despite quirks such as the casting of Iggy Pop. A big-screen remake has also been in development hell for over a decade, with Jason Momoa being the latest name announced only to subsequently depart from the project.
Lost amidst all of this was a Canadian television adaptation in 1998, subtitled Stairway To Heaven and starring future Iron Chef host (and John Wick 3 co-star) Mark Dacascos. It ran for 22 episodes and attracted decent reviews in comparison to other entries on this list, but became lost in the crowd on the Sci-Fi Channel, its cliffhangers never resolved.