John Cusack blurted out on Twitter that he’ll play Edgar Allan Poe in The Raven. Since I can’t clear my throat in less than 140 characters, I’ll spend the extra verbiage describing the film. Based on an original script by Hannah Shakespeare (I kid you not) and Ben Livingston, the drama is set in the last five days of Poe’s life, when a serial killer is running around Baltimore using Poe’s stories as the backdrops for his killings. Poe and a young detective have a ticking clock to outsmart the killer before he strikes again. V For Vendetta‘s James McTeigue will direct, and production will begin late fall in Serbia. The film is a co-production between Intrepid Pictures and FilmNation. It will be produced by Intrepid’s Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans, and FilmNation’s Aaron Ryder, who brought the script to Intrepid. FilmNation’s Glen Basner will sell international rights, and Intrepid is in discussions with domestic distributors.

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