James McTeigue Reveals Next Project, The Raven

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/04...ext-project-the-raven-updates-altered-carbon/

Today I had the opportunity to talk with Ninja Assassin and V For Vendetta director James McTeigue. The full interview won’t be ready until later this week. For now, I thought I’d pass along some of the juicy news tidbits about some of his upcoming projects.


As many of you know, McTeigue started in Hollywood as a second assistant director on films like Dark City, and made a name for himself as the first assistant director on The Matrix films. He famously took the reigns from The Wachowski Brothers, directing big screen adaptation of Alan Moore’s comic book V For Vendetta (currently ranked #178 on IMDb’s top 250 of all time). His latest film, Ninja Assassin, hits theaters on November 25th. I caught a sneak preview screening during Comic-Con, and while I’m barred from reviewing the movie, I will say that the action is bloody awesome and worth the price of admission alone.


What’s next for McTeigue? The filmmaker, for the first time ever, reveals details about his next project — James is currently casting a period thriller titled The Raven, a fictionalized account of the final five “mysterious” days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life. Apparently the famous writer joins the hunt for a serial killer whose murders are inspired by his stories.

“It’s like the poem, The Raven, itself, crossed with Se7en. It should be pretty cool. The script is really good and everyone responds to it really well. I’m in the middle of casting.”
​

The screenplay is written by Hannah Shakespeare (who wrote the 2005 drama Loverboy, and was a story editor on Bionic Woman and Ghost Whisperer) and Ben Livingston. Machinist/Session 9 director Brad Anderson had been previously developing the project. For those who haven’t read The Raven, or at very least haven’t seen the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode that parodied the famous poem, click here now.


The real death of Poe was also mysterious. The writer was discovered on the streets of Baltimore in great distress and in need of “immediate assistance.” He was wearing someone else’s clothes and repeating the name “Reynolds”. He died shortly after in hospital, never able to explain what had happened.

 

[Eggyman]

Sounds cool. I'm in

 

[Solidus]

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door
Only this, and nothing more."

Count me in. Sounds cool.

 

[Evil Twin]

I'll note that the latest theory is that Poe died from rabies. Not that historical accuracy is really the point of this project. Or of the Lovecraft movie in the works.

 

[The Guard]

Awesome.

 

[Dr. Evil]

This sounds pretty good.

So is it going to be in narration form?

 

[ross2287]

http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=327934

 

[Octoberist]

but there's more posts here than in the original one.

 

[Hunter Rider]

This is the original one, made 4 hours before the linked thread.

 

[Doctor Jones]

This sounds awesome. I always wondered why nobody made any Poe stories. This is something I could get into.

 

[Prison Mike]

I'm excited for this. It sounds really cool!

 

[Evil Twin]

I'm very nonplussed by the concept. The "the author had adventures just like his stories" subgenre is starting to bug me. It frequently doesn't tell us anything about the real people and their work and undersells the craft and imagination of these men. We're one or two steps from Bram Stoker vs. Vampires and Arthur Conan Doyle solves mysteries. Heck, Poe didn't even write serial killer stories.

If you want to do a 19th Century serial killer movie, why not just adapt THE ALIENIST?

Yeah, it could turn out fine, TIME AFTER TIME is a fine example of this subgenre. But, it could also turn out very formulaic with a couple of cutesy Poe "easter eggs" thrown in.

 

[The Guard]

If Poe didn't even write serial killer stories...how is this him having adventures like his stories?

 

[Evil Twin]

If Poe didn't even write serial killer stories...how is this him having adventures like his stories?

I'm sure that they'll be stealing some surficial visuals from Poe. Somebody will probably be threatened/killed with a bladed pendulum. Someone will likely be buried alive with a cask of Amontillado. They'll find a heart under the floorboards. Basically easter eggs, nothing really about Poe's writing. Or the real Poe. So, what's the point of a fictionalized Poe in a story that doesn't reflect his writings except for borrowing a couple of visuals and likely tells us nothing about the real person?

Yeah, it might turn out to be a very entertaining but lightweight movie. I won't prejudge it in that respect. But, since Poe didn't solve serial killer mysteries or write about serial killers, I'm raising a skeptical eye that the movie isn't just using Poe as a "high concept" device and excuse for "homaging" visuals.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=60885

Exclusive: More on the Plot of McTeigue's The Raven

Source:Edward Douglas
November 13, 2009


Early this morning, ComingSoon.net/ShockTillYouDrop.com had a chance to talk to director James McTeigue (V For Vendetta) about his gory action-thriller Ninja Assassin. Being that the movie was shot well over a year ago, McTeigue is already well into development on his next project, called The Raven, which isn't in fact a literal adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story which spawned a classic bit of '60s horror which teamed Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff under the auspices of Roger Corman.

McTeigue told us a little more about the general plot of the movie which looks to start production sometime next year. "There's basically a serial killer loose in 1850's Baltimore and he's using Poe's stories as his methodology, so then he leaves clues at each murder and says it's up to Poe to find him before he kills (again)."

The director has just been in Europe looking for locations that would double for the film's period setting. "There's a European sensibility that could be cool. You could totally get into world creation where I can say, 'This is my version of 1850's Baltimore,' because the Poe film is a fictionalized account, his last five days. It's not real."

Look for more on McTeigue's take on Poe and his other projects in our full interview over on ComingSoon.net sometime before Ninja Assassin opens on November 25.

 

[Octoberist]

I'm assuming WB is doing this..

 

[Turtles]

I'm sure that they'll be stealing some surficial visuals from Poe. Somebody will probably be threatened/killed with a bladed pendulum. Someone will likely be buried alive with a cask of Amontillado. They'll find a heart under the floorboards. Basically easter eggs, nothing really about Poe's writing. Or the real Poe. So, what's the point of a fictionalized Poe in a story that doesn't reflect his writings except for borrowing a couple of visuals and likely tells us nothing about the real person?

My guess? They're going to use this movie as a way to explain his death. The Edgar Allen Poe in the story will probably figure out the real identity of serial killer using his elements of his stories to kill, but something terrible will happen to him--the killer will probably do something "Poe related" to him, too--and he'll wind up in the street, in somebody else's clothes, muttering the name "Reynolds" just like what happened in real life. Reynolds will probably be the serial killer's identity or something like that, or maybe the name of the detective in charge of the case, who Poe trying to find him so he can tell him the killer's identity before he dies.

Eh, I don't know. This just strikes me as fan worship gone overboard, you know? I mean, why have any old detective solve serial murders based on your favorite poets poems, when you can actually have you favorite poet solve serial murders based on your favorite poet's poems?

 

[DarkSovereignty]

i hope they treat it like some sort of conspiracy, as if it could have happened but behind the scenes and away from the public eye, not like brothers grimm where they were nothing like who they actually were and treated like medieval ghostbusters with a total disregard for any sort of historical fact.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

It sounds like a very interesting story. If done right it could be tons of fun, if done poorly it could be uncommonly awful.

 

[matrix_ghost]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=69257


John Cusack Playing Poe in The Raven
Source: John Cusack August 27, 2010


With the advent of Twitter, casting announcements can come from anywhere, including the stars themselves, which is why it was quite a breakthrough for actor John Cusack to make the official announcement on his Twitter feed that he would be taking on the role of Edgar Allan Poe in James (V For Vendetta) McTeigue's thriller The Raven.

ComingSoon.net first learned about the project when we spoke to McTeigue for his previous movie Ninja Assassin, and he told us that his movie wouldn't be a straight adaptation of Poe's poem, as much as a serial killer thriller in which the famed horror author would have to solve clues of a string of murders based on his stories. The story would be set in Baltimore during the 1850s. (You can read that interview here.)

We hadn't heard much else except that the Oscar-nominated man of the moment Jeremy Renner was signed on for the movie along with Ewan McGregor. One has to figure one of them was going to play Poe and with Cusack claiming that role, we have to wonder whether either of these actors are still on board. (Renner just signed onto Mission: Impossible IV and will be playing Hawkeye in Joss Whedon's The Avengers, so he may be too busy to do this.)

 

[DarkSovereignty]

that is some pretty...inspired casting. color me intrigued.

 

[Dr. Evil]

I like John Cusak. Both him and sister Joan are underrated.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

i can actually see cusack done up like poe. he has that akward boyish look to him.

 

[Poeman]

OMG...As many can see from my screenname...I completey got up and did a fistpump.

Edgar Allan Poe is a legend and I idolize his work. I have his complete poems and tales. I recommend you all buy it if you all want to read excellent literature.

Poe for the win and Mcteigue kicked all kinds of ass in V for Vendetta. I'll be there!

I recommend this book...This has all of Poe's work and in chronological order...Books out there saying "complete tales and poems" are not really complete works.
http://www.amazon.com/Edgar-Allan-P...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282876348&sr=1-1

Btw, regarding his death...I like to think Poe suffered from an alcohol induced stroke...He literally gave up on life and probably suffered from depression once his wife died 2 years prior...
Annabel Lee is so inspired by his dead wife.

However, the idea that he had rabies is not a bad one and most likely the actual cause of death
Here is what the doctors said
http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/news-releases-17.htm

 

[Poeman]

Btw I really love this video...I like what guy in the end suspects happened to Poe



Truly a creepy way to go out for a horror/thriller writer