Huston exits The Crow remake

Relativity Studios is backing the film, and is eyeing Nicholas Hoult and Jack O'Connell, among others, as possible replacements.

Jack Huston has dropped out of The Crow. The Boardwalk Empire star was slated to take on the role originated by Brandon Lee in the 1994 film of the same, but had to drop out due to scheduling issues. The Crow is currently in pre-production in Wales.

“Jack Huston is unfortunately unavailable to continue with us on The Crow,” said director Corin Hardy in a statement. “The Crow is an amazing project, and I am grateful that we have the time and patience to get it right. We look forward to unveiling our new lead and starting to film over the next several weeks.”

Relativity Studios is backing the film, and is eyeing Nicholas Hoult and Jack O’Connell, among others, as possible replacements. The studio is currently in negotiations to bring Forest Whitaker on board the project in another role, according to a source close to Relativity.

Relativity released its own statement about Huston’s departure. “Jack is a remarkably gifted actor, and we look forward to working with him in the future,” the studio said.

Huston’s upcoming projects include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and the starring role in Ben-Hur. The original 1994 movie centred on a murdered rock star who is resurrected in order to hunt down his killers. Lee died during the film’s production after he was shot with a defective blank.