All About the Shocking On-Set Death of Star Brandon Lee at Age 28: The Crow 30th Anniversary

Thirty years after The Crow hit theaters, fans are still talking about Brandon Lee's performance and his tragic accidental on-set death.

Brandon, the only son of legendary actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, was just 28 years old when he died as a result of a prop gun being fired by a costar during filming of the 1994 film.

Based on James O’Barr’s 1989 graphic novel, The Crow follows a man named Eric (Brandon) who is resurrected after his murder in order to take revenge on those who killed him and his fiancée, Shelly (played by Sofia Shinas).

Brandon's death prompted an investigation at the time. Ultimately, the district attorney involved in the casedeclined to bring chargesagainst the production company behindThe Crow.

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Following his death, Brandon's castmates spoke out about what happened and their reactions, including Shinas, 56.

”I was on the soundstage when it happened, and my agent wanted me out,” she told Entertainment Weekly in May 1994. ”I was an emotional wreck.”

"I didn’t want to go back and finish the movie,” said costar Ernie Hudson, who played a police officer who helps Eric. “There was a part of me that said, ‘Yeah, right, this is for Brandon.’ No, it’s because you’ve got so much money put into this thing, and you need to make some money out of it."

"But then I got a call from Lance Anderson, Brandon's makeup artist, and he felt we should do it for Brandon because Brandon had worked very hard," added Hudson, 78.

In June, a new adaptation of The Crow will be released starring Bill Skarsgård as E -

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ric, the vengeful man who is resurrected from the dead to bring justice to those who murdered him and his fiancée Shelly (FKA Twigs).

Alongside Skarsgård, 33, and Twigs, 36,The Crowremake stars Danny Huston, Isabella Wei, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila and Jordan Bolger.

Back in February, director Rupert Sanders toldVanity Fair that Brandon's “soul is very much alive in this film.”

"There’s a real fragility and beauty to his version of the Crow, and I think Bill feels like he is a successor to that,” said Sanders, 53.

“Obviously it was a terrible tragedy, and it’s definitely something that we’ve always had in mind through the making of the film,” the director added. “Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous withThe Crow,and I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again."

Brandon starred in several films before his final posthumous role in The Crow, including Laser Mission (1989), Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) and Rapid Fire (1992).

On the 30th anniversary of his death — March 31, 2023 — his younger sister Shannon Lee paid tribute to Brandon and his "too short but beautiful and important" life.

"I cannot believe it has been 30 years," Shannon, 55, said in a video message posted to dad Bruce's official X (formerly Twitter) page. "But here's what I have to say: His beauty, his soul, his intelligence, his creativity is still alive with us, here with us."

"We are going to be finding ways to celebrate him and bring him further into the consciousness this year and every year going forward," she added of her brother.

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