Boardwalk Empire star Jack Huston has dropped out of the upcoming remake of 1994’s The Crow, according to Variety. An announcement from director Corin Hardy (The Hallow) cited scheduling difficulties.
Huston was set to take on the role of a murdered rock star brought back from the dead to avenge the deaths of himself and his love. No specific conflict has been noted for his departure, but the actor is starring as the title character in the upcoming Ben-Hur remake, which is currently filming in Italy, so that may have something to do with it.
In a statement to Variety, director Hardy said:
Jack Huston is unfortunately unavailable to continue with us on The Crow. 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.
Hardy is reportedly eyeing Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Jack O’Connell (Unbroken) to replace Huston as doomed rocker Eric Draven. The role in the original 1994 film was played by Brandon Lee, who died during the film’s production after he was shot with a defective blank during a gun stunt.
Huston had been signed as a replacement for original lead Luke Evans (Dracula Untold). Evans left the project last year, also reportedly due to scheduling issues.
In addition to Ben-Hur, Huston will be seen in the upcoming Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.