Key Takeaways:
– Brad Pitt shares a memory of fellow actor Brandon Lee predicting his own untimely death.
– Brandon Lee tragically died during the shooting of movie ‘The Crow', much like he had predicted.
– ‘The Crow' reboot, directed by Rupert Sanders, enforced strict safety rules against real guns.
The Eerie Prediction That Came True
In an unforeseen tragedy that shook Hollywood, Brandon Lee, the talented son of renowned martial artist Bruce Lee, lost his life while filming the 1994 movie ‘The Crow'. This catastrophe not only left a permanent mark on the film industry, but also unleashed a haunting narrative which actor Brad Pitt unraveled years later.
During his 2019 promotion for the film ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', Brad Pitt recounted a chilling episode in which Brandon Lee had predicted his own untimely death, similar to his father's, almost a year prior to the unfortunate incident.
Brad Pitt & Brandon Lee's Late-Night Talk
In a reflective conversation with Esquire about the uncanny coincidences in Hollywood, Pitt recalled a particular late-night talk with the late Brandon Lee.
“I remember back in the early days I hung out with Brandon Lee,” said Pitt. He remembered a certain night when Lee shared his foreboding prediction of his early demise. It was a night out, after everyone else had gone their separate ways, they ended up at Lee's place.
“We went out one night and everyone else had peeled off, and we ended up back at his place,“ revealed Pitt. It was a high-spirited, tipsy evening when Lee soberly shared his belief that he might die young like his father.
Nevertheless, Pitt dismissed this late-night confession as an offhand, possibly tipsy remark. Little did he know, the relevance of this conversation would soon surface after tragedy struck Lee just a year later.
The Tragic Demise of Brandon Lee
The prophetic conversation between Pitt and Lee gained a sinister undertone when Brandon Lee was killed in a freak accident during the making of ‘The Crow'. Similar to his father Bruce Lee, who died young at the age of 32, Brandon Lee lost his life at the early age of 28 in a horrifying on-set accident involving a prop gun.
The New Safety Standards on Set
In the wake of this fatal event, Rupert Sanders, the director of the recent ‘The Crow' reboot, decided to tighten up safety regulations regarding real firearms on movie sets.
“Safety is a number one priority,” Sanders insisted. Acknowledging the multiple risks surrounding film production, he laid out a firm rule against using real firing weapons on set.
Instead of taking the risk of using real guns, Sanders enlisted the help of Airsoft guns and non-firing rubber or metal decoys, going an extra mile to ensure there was no danger of live rounds or blanks causing any harm.
Despite the conscientious effort to uplift safety standards and the participation of ‘It' star Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs, the reboot received a rather critical review, with a paltry 21% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In finishing, the life-changing incident experienced by the late Brandon Lee reveals just how unpredictable life can be and emphasizes the importance of enhancing safety measures in high-risk workplaces like film sets.
The original ‘The Crow' featuring Brandon Lee is currently available on Paramount+ and the recent reboot ‘The Crow (2024)' is now showing in theatres.
