Edgar Allan Poe turns action hero in the movie 'The Raven'
John Cusack will portray Edgar Allan Poe who, in the movie 'The Raven,' is forced to try to discover the identity of a serial killer.
John Cusack will play Edgar Allan Poe in the movie 'The Raven,' slated for an April release, about the writer pursuing a serial killer.
Relativity Media/YouTube screenshot
Oh, so you missed the part in English class about Edgar Allan Poe solving murders?
The famous writer is coming to the big screen on April 27 and will be played by John Cusack, though not in a staid biopic. The movie, titled “The Raven,” will consist of a fictional account of the end of Poe’s life, during which – according to “Raven" – a serial killer began committing murders based on Poe’s grislier stories. The police ask for Poe’s help in solving the mystery, but the writer himself soon becomes a suspect. And why not? After all, he was the one who imagined these crimes in the first place.
In addition to Cusack as the writer, the movie will star “The Three Musketeers” actor Luke Evans as Detective Emmett Fields, “Downton Abbey” star (he plays valet Bates) Brendan Coyle as a character named Reagan, and actress Alice Eve as Poe’s love interest named Emily. It’s unclear whether Eve’s character is Poe’s wife Virginia Clemm, who would have died before the end of Poe’s life; Sarah Elmira Royster, a woman with whom Poe reputedly became involved with later in life; or a completely fictional character altogether.
In the film, the mysterious killer challenges Poe to solve the murders and takes Emily captive, enclosing her in what appears to be a coffin. In a disguised voice, the killer tells the writer he is his “biggest fan.”
The movie has released a full-length trailer and TV commercials. Check out the newest TV spot below:
Molly Driscoll is a Monitor contributor.