‘No guns on set’: 30 years later, Brandon Lee’s disappearance affects new film

Rupert Sanders’ The Crow, which hits our big screens on August 21, is a dark remake of the iconic comic from 1989, but there’s one element of the franchise’s history that the director was determined not to do.

In 1994, during the production of the film adaptation of Alex Proyas’ The Crow, the film’s star, Brandon Lee, was accidentally shot on set due to an accident caused by the film’s props department. This tragedy happened again decades later on the set of Rust in October 2021, when cinematographer Halina Hutchins was killed due to the presence of live bullets in Alec Baldwin’s toy gun.

Given that Rupert Sanders Set to shoot his film in 2022, these two incidents reinforced the director’s insistence on having as safe a set as possible.

“Safety is a top priority” he said (via Variety ). “Movie sets are very dangerous. There are cars that go at speed with cranes on top. Stuntmen fall on cables at the top of the stairs. Even walking on set at night with rain machines and lights – you’re working in an industrial environment. So it’s dangerous. You have to be careful. On the first day in Prague, I met the special effects department and the gunsmith, who were amazing. They were very safety conscious. They follow the same guidelines as the military when it comes to guns, but I didn’t even want to take that risk.“

He added:So I categorically said, “We’re not going to have any guns on the set,” meaning we didn’t have any guns anywhere near a live bullet or a blank that wouldn’t go through. These are all Airsoft guns and some of them are just rubber or metal decoys that function but have no firing mechanism.“

THE Rebooting The Crow Starring Bill Skarsgård, seen in It, and John Wick 4, as Eric Draven, who is murdered along with his girlfriend Shelley (FKA Twigs). Between life and death, Eric makes it his mission to avenge their murders.

Safety is priceless

In an interview with Variety, Rupert Sanders Strongly advocated using Airsoft guns on set rather than real guns, even if it cost more in terms of special effects.

“The great thing about Airsoft is that the slide on a Glock can still be retracted, but then you have to add a cartridge.“- explained the director. “You have to add some flash and smoke, but it was a price worth paying. It took quite a bit of money out of my very limited visual effects budget, but I think it was worth it. The visual effects in this film are mostly shot on camera. We mainly shot on location with the extension of the set. So you have to balance where you spend your money when you don’t have a huge budget to do visual effects. But for me it was a very worthwhile expense for everyone’s safety and comfort during this project.“

Opinions were divided

After the shooting on the set Rust In October 2021, many famous actors and directors have pledged to stop using real weapons on set. Dwayne Johnson told Variety that all films and series produced under his Seven Bucks Productions banner will be transferred to “Rubber gun“, added: “We are not going to think about dollars; We don’t care what it costs.“

Quentin Tarantino does not share this opinion. Indeed, during a recent appearance on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, the famous director expressed his opinion about the use of rubber guns on set.

“I suppose I could add a digital erection to porn, but who wants to watch that?said Tarantino, who was clearly opposed to the use of fake guns on set. “It’s exciting to shoot whites and see orange, real orange fire, without adding orange fire.“

He added:For every shot shot in movies, we only have two examples of people being shot and killed on set.”, referring to Rusty’s shooting and Brandon Lee’s death. “This is quite a record.“

Tarantino, who is no stranger to the presence of firearms on his sets, explained that actors should always see the weapons they are handling before filming.If there are steps to follow, you follow them. It’s done with due diligence and you know it’s real.“

Also discussing Alec Baldwin’s role in Halina Hutchins’ murder, he also said that the actor is somewhat responsible.

“This is a situation where I think it’s fair enough to say that the gunsmith, the guy who hands him the gun, is 90% responsible for everything that happens with that gun. But the actor is 10% responsible. This is a weapon! You are somewhat of an accountability partner.

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To learn more about The Crow’s tragic history, watch our video, which includes the facts below: