set out to make this generation’s version of . His reimagining of James O’Barr’s seminal graphic novel isn’t meant to compete with Alex Proyas’ 1994 adaptation, but the English filmmaker hopes that his take on Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster’s ( ) devastating love story will speak to today’s youth in a similar way. In May of 1994, Proyas’ genre classic was released at a time when its target audience was still grieving the recent loss of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
But then it also had to come to terms with the tragic fact that Brandon Lee, as Eric Draven/ , delivered a career-defining performance that ultimately cost him his life in an accidental shooting on the film’s North Carolina set. Thus, Sanders had a remarkably tough act to follow, which was further illustrated by the relaunch’s 13-plus years of development by the time he joined the fold in 2022. Progress moved so slowly over the years that family members of Sanders’ current lead actors were once tied to the role of Eric to varying degrees.
Bill Skarsgård’s older brother, Alexander, was once linked to the role in 2013, while Jack Huston — the nephew of Sanders’ villain, Danny Huston — was committed to the part in 2015. Now that the gothic superhero romance is finally hitting the big screen after 15-plus years, Sanders can only speculate as to how he was able to succeed where so many other filmmakers and stars failed. “Sometimes, these films just have their time.
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