Jack Huston, known for his role as the tortured Richard Harrow on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," has dropped out of "The Crow" remake, Variety reports.
Huston had signed on to take the role originally portrayed by Brandon Lee in the 1994 film, but left due to scheduling conflicts. The film is currently in pre-production.
"Jack Huston is unfortunately unavailable to continue with us on 'The Crow,'" director Corin Hardy said 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 reportedly looking at Nicholas Hoult ("X-Men: Days of Future Past") and Jack O'Oconnell ("Unbroken") to step in. The studio is also in talks with Forest Whitaker ("The last King of Scotland") for a supporting role, though he is also in negotiations with Disney and Lucasfilm for the first "Star Wars" anthology film, "Star Wars: Rogue One."
Relativity released a separate statement regarding Huston's departure.
"Jack is a remarkably gifted actor, and we look forward to working with him in the future," the studio said. "Corin Hardy has a tremendous vision for 'The Crow,' and we are working closely with him to continue prepping the movie and supporting him as he brings his vision to the big screen."
It wouldn't be wrong for fans to question Hardy's vision at this point, as Huston is the second actor to depart the project after Luke Evans ("Fast and Furious 6") exited the production. Fans will just have to see how the project progresses from this point on.
The original 1994 film followed a murdered rock star who is brought back from the dead to seek revenge on his killers. Lee passed away from injuries suffered from getting shot with a defective blank during filming.
