'The Crow' remake first film at Pinewood Cardiff

A remake of 90s cult film The Crow is to be the first feature film to use the new Pinewood Studios in Cardiff.

The news was announced by the First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones, on his visit to the new 180,000sq ft facility at the former Energy Centre building in Wentloog, Cardiff.

The film, based on the James O’Barr graphic novel about a murdered man who comes back for revenge, will be directed by Corin Hardy. Pinewood confirmed that The Crow will begin filming shortly.

It will be produced by Edward R. Pressman, who produced the original 1994 film - directed by Alex Proyas and infamous for the on-set death of its leading man Brandon Lee - and is producing the reboot.

Jack Huston is speculated to star as the lead in the reboot.

The Crow will pull from the Welsh government’s $44.3m (£30m) Media Investment Budget, which invests in film and high-end television productions that shoot 50% of principal photography in Wales.

The first film to benefit from the fund was Take Down, which shot in Wales and the Isle of Man with a Welsh crew.

“The creative industries are flourishing in Wales and the opening of Pinewood Studio Wales follows on from several successful productions which have been filmed in Wales recently,” said First Minister Jones.

“The fact that Pinewood has chosen to open a facility in Wales and so many production companies are filming here is testament to our beautiful landscape, vibrant cities, wonderful historical assets; our highly skilled and dedicated workforce; and the flexible support on offer from the Welsh government.”

Pinewood Group CEO Ivan Dunleavy added: “Pinewood Studio Wales is off to an encouraging start…the opening coincided with figures released in January from the Department for Culture Media and Sport, showing the sector’s growth has reached record highs, and is now worth $113.5 billion (£76.9 billion) per year to the UK economy.”