Lloyd Dobbler Is Edgar Allan Poe

Share on Facebook posted 08-31-10 by Max Tedaldi

Via Twitter, the official medium through which celebrities post trite witticisms and banal gossip, comes some relatively meaty information on John Cusack’s latest film. Here is what the Grosse Point Blank star had to say:

“officiali-will play Edgar Allan Poe in fall-a-film called The Raven, send any Poe- gold – my way as i begin this journey into the abyss”

The plot of said EAP film will focus on the final days of Poe’s life and his msyterious death, in which a serial killer mimics the gruesome acts portrayed in his stories and poetry. Cool plot? I think so! This one has the potential to be a kind of Seven meets Sleepy Hollow. But is John Cusack really the best person to play the godfather of goth? Cusack has an eclectic – to say the least – filmography, so it will all depend on whether we get the Being John Malkovich Cusack or the Serendipity Cusack. The film is set to be directed by V for Vendetta helmsman James McTeigue, so we should be getting something nice and dark and dreary to accompany the subject matter.

Cusack has the potential to nail this or Must Love Dogs it. So this leaves me with a very important question: Who would you have cast in the role of the Dark Lord (and by dark lord I don’t mean he must not be named)? Here’s my top 5:

5. Johnny Depp

Depp is an obvious choice here, maybe a little bit too obvious. He’s been the muse for Tim Burton’s whimsically dark films over the past 20 years and a turn as Edgar Allan Poe would fit nicely into his catalogue of work. Does anyone remember a film that Depp has done where he doesn’t play an eclectic weirdo? This role would probably be too similar to the roles he played in Sweeney Todd and Sleepy Hollow and From Hell.

4. Daniel Day Lewis

The guy rocks one hell of a fantastic mustache and is possibly the best actor of the past 25 years, so what more could we want for EAP. The real issue here is that Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting is extremely discerning in his work and would only take the part if he thought it was fantastic. I guess he thinks that playing Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes sequel is a better bet.

3. Kevin Spacey

Another fine actor, It’s been a while since we’ve Mr. Spacey in something mainstream that also showcases his obvious talents. The leading role in The Raven could have been just that, but instead he is busy filming Horrible Bosses, a film about three friends who conspire to kill their respective bosses. Give Kevin a wig and a mustache and he would look eerily like Mr. Poe.

2. Viggo Mortensen

Aragorn can play dark and creepy just fine, and despite normally looking like a typical leading man, he can also amp up the smarmy. Don’t believe me?! Look at this picture!

1. Jeffrey Combs

It’s a shame that a project like this probably only looked at A-list actors because lurking beneath the depths of the C-list is B-movie extraordinaire Jeffrey Combs. You probably know him from his role in the popular Re-Animator film series, but what you may not know is that Combs played Poe in the Masters of Horror Episode “The Black Cat” and again on stage in a production of Nevermore. He’s got the the look, the experience and the necessary macabre vibe to pull off the role, now if only producers of The Raven hadn’t gotten caught up on Lloyd Dobbler.