MTV Movies Blog › The Raven

Several months ago John Cusack announced that he would be playing Edgar Allan Poe in the upcoming murder mystery flick "The Raven," and we've been pretty intrigued by the project ever since. Now The Huffington Post has the first picture of Cusack in full Poe regalia, raven and all, and we've got to say we're officially impressed. We're not sure what's up with the goatee (we've only ever seen him in his mustachioed glory), but beyond that it's pretty much as spot-on Poe as you can get.

The film's plot is inspired by the last few, mysterious days of Poe's life. Poe died at the age of 40 after he was found wandering disoriented and injured around the streets of Baltimore. The cause of his death is still unknown, and explanations range from cholera to rabies to suicide. But "The Raven" follows the conspiracy that Poe was actually tracking down a serial killer who based his crimes on Poe's horror stories. Read more...

Tags James McTeigue, john cusack, Photo, The Raven

Mark Wahlberg isn't starring in a remake of "The Crow," but that doesn't mean he won't be saying hi to another bird's mother in the near future.

The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Wahlberg and Universal Pictures have acquired the rights to produce a feature-length adaptation of director Ricardo De Montreuil's short film "The Raven." Wahlberg is co-producing alongside his colleague Steve Levinson, with Underground Films trio Nick Osborne, Trevor Engelson and Oly Obst executive producing.

Justin Marks will write the film's screenplay, which is in development as a starring vehicle for Wahlberg. Read more...

Tags mark wahlberg, The Raven

First we got a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" set in high class Manhattan in "Beastly," then we got a gothic twist on "Red Riding Hood" thanks to "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, and now Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" is about to get a modernized reboot.

Deadline reports that Sony Pictures has purchased the rights to "Frankenstein" and plans for "From Prada to Nada" writer Craig Fernandez to pen a contemporary version of the classic horror story. Considering Fernandez's "From Prada to Nada" is a modern retelling of "Sense and Sensibility" with a Latin spin, he might be the right guy for the job.

With Hollywood so hell-bent on taking these classic horror stories and making them young, hip and sexy, we figured we'd offer up a few of our own suggestions on some films we'd like to see get — for lack of a better phrase — the "Twilight" treatment. Who knows, maybe you'll have some hunky Frankenstein hanging on a poster over your bed next year? Read more...

Tags Dracula, frankenstein, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Raven

He may be the posterboy for 1980s lovey dovey comedies, but John Cusack also does tall, dark and stormy quite well. It's fitting then that he'll star as horror author Edgar Allen Poe in James McTeigue's upcoming murder mystery/Poe not-biopic "The Raven." News of the casting comes from Cusack himself, via his Twitter feed.

McTeigue told MTV in August of last year that he was "close" to picking his Poe. "I think the person we're looking at will make a great Poe," he said at the time. I wonder if its been, or been working toward, Cusack this whole time.

The movie is set around the real-life Poe's mysterious last days. He died at the age of 40 shortly after being found wandering in the streets, disoriented and injured. "The Raven" posits the idea that Poe was in fact hunting a serial killer who modeled his or her crimes after the deaths in the author's stories. It's a pretty intriguing idea and McTeigue, who showed off plenty of visual panache with his work on "V for Vendetta" and "Ninja Assassin," seems like the right person to tell the story.

Tags James McTeigue, john cusack, The Raven

"The Hurt Locker" is unquestionably one of the best films of 2009, as evidenced by the "Avatar"-tying nine Oscar nominations it received. What this means is that star Jeremy Renner, a Best Actor contender, is burning hot right now. And so a lot of people are wondering what will be next for him.

A couple of hints surfaced today in a New York Times article which takes a general look at some of the nominees and what's coming up for them. It sounds like we'll next see Renner in "The Raven," for which Ewan McGregor is in talks to co-star. You might remember "The Raven" from our own chats with director James McTeigue; he told us last August that he was "close" to casting someone for the starring role of Edgar Allen Poe. Read more...

Tags battleship, James McTeigue, Jeremy Renner, kathryn bigelow, peter berg, the hurt locker, The Raven

In case you haven't heard, "V for Vendetta" director James McTeigue is getting himself set to helm "The Raven," a fictionalized take on the last days of Edgar Allen Poe. It is widely known that Poe died shortly after he was found wandering the streets of Baltimore, dazed and incoherent. No clear story was ever assembled of what left him in that state. A variety of theories exist of course, and McTeigue is prepping to put forth one of his own.

In "The Raven," Poe's last days are spent in pursuit of a serial killer who is modeling his (or her?) crimes after the murders in the author's stories. Poe was 40 when he died, and the director is looking to fill the role with someone who can play that age. In a recent interview, McTiegue revealed to MTV that "I'm getting very close to the person who I want to be Poe. I think the person we're looking at will make a great Poe." Read more...

Tags James McTeigue, The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe is no stranger to the movies. His literature has been adapted to film as early as 1908 and he was first portrayed onscreen in a D.W. Griffith short a year later. So it’s not always that exciting to hear about another Poe project in the works. However, I am very intrigued by this new movie coming from “V for Vendetta” director James McTeigue, which will fictionalize the writer’s mysterious final days.

/Film got the scoop on this project while interviewing McTeigue at San Diego Comic-Con. His latest, the upcoming “Ninja Assassin,” was screened at SDCC and it opens this November. The Poe project is titled “The Raven,” though it’s not exactly based on the writer’s avian-centric poem. McTeigue claims it’s like a cross between Poe’s “The Raven” and the David Fincher film “Se7en.” Scripted by Hannah Shakespeare (Kevin Bacon’s “Loverboy”) and Ben Livingston, “The Raven” follows Poe as he hunts for a serial killer inspired by his stories. Read more...

Tags clive barker, James McTeigue, Ninja Assassin, Sylvester Stallone, tell-tale, The Raven, the ushers, V for Vendetta