If you’re a fan of biographical films on historical literary figures (like me!), then you need to know about The Raven, starring John Cusack (High Fidelity) who plays the original master of horror himself, Edgar Allan Poe. Under the direction of James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), production is currently taking place in Budapest. According to IMDB, the story follows Poe who “is in pursuit of a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer’s stories.”
In the movie, you’ll likely see Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League) as Virginia Clemm-Poe, the cousin who Poe marries when she is thirteen years old. Luke Evans (Robin Hood) is in negotiations for the part of a detective who helps Poe investigate the serial killer behind these heinous crimes.
According to Slash Film, the movies is “a fictionalized account of the final five ‘mysterious’ days of… Poe’s life.” The site also reports that McTeigue claims that the script, written by Hannah Shakespeare (Loverboy) and newcomer Ben Livingston, blends elements of Poe’s most famous poem “The Raven,” which has been studied and celebrated for its literary structure, darkness in tone, and musicality of language. Also, the movie features a great deal of gore, comparable to that of 1995’s Se7en.
Dread Central adds that Poe’s wife is kidnapped by the murderer in the film. McTeigue told the website, “I would be remiss in not including some gory stuff especially within the context of his [Poe’s] work… There are so many incredible macabre and paranoid elements in what Poe accomplished as a writer so I want to bring those to the big screen. I want to put audiences in 1850s Baltimore but the twist is that I want it to come from the way I imagined Poe saw the world, not necessarily what was really happening at that time and give it a bit of a pop twist on top of that.”
He also clears up that he is not looking to make a “biopic” of Poe’s life, yet “some dark themes [are] running throughout the movie that may just touch on some of what we know about Poe’s life.”
Cusack has recently tweeted about his role as the revered writer, recommending stories like “Hop Frog” and “King Pest,” according to Media Bistro. If Poe fans are seeking another interpretation of his final days sooner than this 2011 film, might I recommend picking up Joyce Carol Oates’ novel, Wild Nights!, which illustrates fictional excerpts centered around writers like Poe, who offers up twisted diary entries into his ultimate downward spiral with insanity. In addition, there are portions dedicated to Emily Dickinson, Henry James, Samuel Clemens / Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway.
Although I’m not too sure about Cusack in the role of such an important figure of 19th century literature, especially when actors like Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer) and Jeremy Renner (The Town) were initially up for the part, but perhaps this is the credential boost that Cucask needs after big screen blunders like 2012 and 1408.
There is no release date yet for The Raven, but as more details emerge and photos are made public, Movie Buzzers will keep readers updated. What do you think about Cusack in the role? Do you think he has what it takes to pull off Poe? Would you see this film? Let us know in the comments section below!
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