Bill Skarsg?rd Says It Was 'Daunting' Stepping Into Brandon Lee's “The Crow” Character (Exclusive)

The movie comes 30 years after the 1994 film of the same name, which was plagued by tragedy after Brandon Lee died following an accidental shooting on the set

The stars of The Crow are ready to unveil their new film!

Bill Skarsg?rd, FKA Twigs and director Rupert Sanders were on-hand for the world premiere of the movie at Village East by Angelika in New York City on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The Crow is a modern reimagining of the original graphic novel, which was previously adapted into a 1994 film by the same name starring the late Brandon Lee.

At the premiere, Skarsg?rd, 34, exclusively tells PEOPLE that stepping into Lee's role of Eric Draven was "daunting." He notes that although he's part of the 2024 rendition, there have been prior remakes in both film and TV, adding, "So I'm not the first one to fill those shoes."

"An iconic performance, a tragic thing that happened with Brandon," he continues. "And for me, I approached this like I do any other job like, 'What's this story? How can I do this story justice?' "

Skarsg?rd also tells PEOPLE that because the latest iteration is "so different" from the original, Lee's portrayal did not play a part in his approach.

"We were not remaking that movie, and that was never the intention," he says. "I feel like that movie and his performance is iconic and shouldn't be tampered with at all. So I'm glad that we tried to do something very different with it."

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Related: The Crow Trailer: Bill Skarsg?rd and FKA Twigs Star in Haunting First Footage from Remake

The film follows a man named Eric (Skarsg?rd) who is resurrected after his murder to take revenge on those who killed him and his fiancée, an official synopsis for the film reads. It continues, "Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right."

The Crow, which is directed by Sanders, also stars Danny Huston, Isabella Wei, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila and Jordan Bolger. Zach Baylin and William Schneider served as the screenwriters. Victor Hadida, Molly Hassell, John Jencks, and the original film’s producers, the late Samuel Hadida and Ed Pressman, are credited as producers.

The movie comes 30 years after the original 1994 film, which was plagued by tragedy after Lee, who was the son of Bruce Lee, died at the age of 28 following an accidental shooting on the set of the film in 1993.  In a criminal investigation, the district attorney involved in the case declined to bring charges against the production company behind the movie.

Related: The Crow Remake First Look: Tattooed Bill Skarsg?rd Takes on Brandon Lee's Iconic Role in New Photos

That movie was completed after his death and released in May 1994. Both the remake and the 1994 movie are based on James O’Barr’s 1989 graphic novel.

Sanders told Vanity Fair in February that Lee’s “soul is very much alive in this film,” and that the “terrible tragedy” was “definitely something that we’ve always had in mind through the making of the 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.

“Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous with The Crow, and I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again," he added.

The Crow is in theaters Aug. 23.

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