Wigutow is a screenwriter with no small amount of growing interest in his work, having recently completed a rewrite of The Osterman Weekend. Spanish-born Gutierrez, meanwhile, rocketed to international attention in 2008 with Before the Fall, an apocalyptic thriller that boldly combined genres against a backdrop of stunning visuals.
Read more about both in the official press release from Relativity Media below:
(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 24, 2012 - Relativity Media's
Co-President, Tucker Tooley, Edward R. Pressman, producer behind the
cult-classic The Crow franchise, and The Weinstein Company's Dimension
Films, announced today they have closed a deal with F. Javier Gutiérrez
(Before The Fall) to direct a reinvention of The Crow, the 1994 smash
hit film based on the comic book series and comic strip by James O'Barr.
Writer Jesse Wigutow has signed on to pen the script.
Gutiérrez's directorial debut, the Spanish-language apocalyptic thriller
Before the Fall (Tres Dias), became an international and award-winning
sensation after premiering at the Berlinale Film Festival in 2008. In
Spain, the film won Best Motion Picture and Best Screenplay at the 2008
Malaga Film Festival, the Miradas Award (TVE) for Best Motion Picture of
the Year, and garnered nominations from the Spain Critics Awards. In
Europe, the film was a finalist for the 2008 European Film Awards and
won main prizes in such science-fiction and fantasy film festivals as
the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, the Trieste Film Fesitval, and
later in the U.S., picked up four awards at Los Angeles' famed Horror
Festival "Scream Fest" in 2009 (for editing, Gutiérrez's directing,
cinematography, and actor Victor Clavijo). The film also ranked #3 on
the "International Watch List 2008". Gutiérrez is currently developing
Dimension Films' sci-fi thriller The Greys.
Wigutow most recently did a re-write for Robert Ludlum's thriller The
Osterman Weekend for Summit, and adapted the book "Steve McQueen:
Portrait of an American Rebel" for Brian Oliver's Cross Creek Films. He
is also developing Age Inappropriate at Universal and Irreparable Harm
at HBO. Previously, he has worked on films including: Tron: Legacy, 8
Mile, Eragon, and The Ruins.
The Crow adaptation will be a gritty reboot of the iconic character Eric
Draven, who returns from the grave as The Crow on a mission to avenge
his wife's murder, so that his soul can finally rest. The original film
is known for its breakthrough visual style as well as its unique
production design and cinematography. The project is currently in
development; start of production, targeted release dates and casting to
be announced.
The film is being produced by Edward R. Pressman, Jeff Most and
Relativity's CEO Ryan Kavanaugh. Relativity's Tooley (Immortals), The
Weinstein Company's Harvey and Bob Weinstein and Farah Films' Dan Farah
(Armored) will serve as executive producers.
Paradigm, Gutiérrez's manager Farah, and attorney Stephen Clark of
Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman, Inc. represented
Gutierrez on the deal and Wigutow was represented by UTA and attorney
Warren Dern of Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern LLP, and Benderspink.
Full disclosure: The Crow is produced by Relativity Media, iamROGUE's parent company.
