***First Image of John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe in THE RAVEN – Updated With Official Synopsis ***Christopher Meloni Up for MAN OF STEEL ***Robin Williams Rows GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM; Ben Barnes Is THE SEVENTH SON ***Paul Haggis in Talks to Pen Spy Film Based on Author Daniel Silva’s Character Gabriel Allon ***Lily Cole and Sam Spruell Added to SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

Christopher Meloni Up for MAN OF STEEL

by Adam Chitwood  Posted: June 24th, 2011

Following his surprising exit from NBC’s Law and Order: SVU, Christopher Meloni just landed himself a not too shabby gig. Deadline reports that the actor is currently in negotiations to star in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. There’s no word on what part he’s up for, but the report states that it’s a “major role” (one hopes it involves fridge-humping). Henry Cavill is set as Superman himself, while Amy Adams will take on Lois Lane. Warner Bros. rounded up some A-list talent for Superman’s parents: Kevin Costner and Diane Lane will play Clark Kent’s adoptive Earth parents, while Russell Crowe is poised to star as biological father Jor-El and Julia Ormond recently entered talks to play his Kryptonian mother Lara Lor-Van.
On the villain side, Michael Shannon will be doing his evil thing as General Zod and Antje Traue is set as Faora. Casting should be close to complete by now, with production set to begin next month in Vancouver. Snyder directs from a script by David Goyer, with Christopher Nolan producing. Man of Steel is eying a holiday 2012 release.  http://collider.com/christopher-meloni-man-of-steel/98734/

Robin Williams Rows GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM; Ben Barnes Is THE SEVENTH SON

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 24th, 2011

We have couple of casting bits to bring you this Friday afternoon. First up, Robin Williams has joined writer/director Justin Zackham’s (writer, The Bucket List) wedding comedy Gently Down the Stream. Williams brings another star to an already stellar cast that includes Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, and Katherine Heigl. Per Variety, the Oscar-winning actor will play the role of Father Monaghan in the pic that tells the story of a long-divorced couple (De Niro and Keaton) who pretend that they’re still married for the sake of their adopted son’s upcoming wedding. Rounding out the Gently Down the Stream cast are Susan Sarandon, Patricia Rae, and Ben Barnes. Production on the film is expected to begin this July.

Speaking of Ben Barnes, The Chronicles of Narnia actor has signed on to star alongside Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore in the Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures fantasy project The Seventh Son. Variety reports that Barnes is in line for the title role (the same one Sam Claffin was once in talks for) which is described as “the seventh son of a seventh son” who learns all things wizard-related. Directed by Sergei Bodrov (Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan), the pic is based on Joseph Delaney’s young adult book series. For more on the project, hit the jump to read a synopsis for the series’ first installment, Revenge of the Witch.  http://collider.com/robin-williams-gently-down-the-stream-ben-barnes-the-seventh-son/98665/

First Image of John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe in THE RAVEN – Updated With Official Synopsis

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 24th, 2011

The first image of John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe in the thriller The Raven has landed online. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), the film is set in 1849 and stars Cusack as the iconic author/poet who joins forces with a detective in hopes of stopping a murderer who is inspired by Poe’s work. Luke Evans, Alice Eve, and Brendan Gleeson also star in the pic. I’m really liking the Se7en vibe the logline gives and, as a fan of both Poe and Cusack, I’m pretty excited about checking this one out when it hits theaters on March 9th, 2012.

Update: The official synopsis has been sent out.  It’s below the picture.

Directed by: James McTeigue
Written by:  Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare
Cast: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson and Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Produced by: Mark D Evans, Trevor Macy, and Aaron Ryder
Executive Producer: Jesus Martinez

Synopsis:

In this gritty thriller, Edgar Allen Poe (John Cusack, Being John Malkovich) joins forces with a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans, Immortals) to hunt down a mad serial killer who’s using Poe’s own works as the basis in a string of brutal murders. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), the film also stars Alice Eve (Sex and the City 2), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).
When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper—part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story.
Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it’s too late.

http://collider.com/the-raven-movie-image-john-cusack/98652/

Paul Haggis in Talks to Pen Spy Film Based on Author Daniel Silva’s Character Gabriel Allon

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 24th, 2011

Two-time Oscar-winner Paul Haggis (Crash) is in talks to script a spy film for Universal based on Daniel Silva’s popular character, Gabriel Allon. While possible, it’s unclear whether or not the writer/director would also helm the film given that the project is still in the very early stages of development. For those unfamiliar with the character (a.k.a myself just 30 minutes ago), Allon has appeared in ten of Silva’s novels and is described as a fortysomething Mossad agent who restores art as part of his “quiet job” and covertly investigates terrorist activities as part of his “slightly less quiet job.”

24 Frames reports that the exact details of Haggis’ script are unknown but that Universal is hoping to turn the property into a franchise (surprise, surprise). Former NBC head Jeff Zucker will produce the pic which joins the Bourne franchise as the second spy property in active development at the studio. For a taste of what could be coming in Haggis’ script, hit the jump for a synopsis of Gabriel Allon’s first appearance, the Daniel Silva novel The Kill Artist. http://collider.com/paul-haggis-gabriel-allon-daniel-silva/98632/ 

Lily Cole and Sam Spruell Added to SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 24th, 2011

Lily Cole (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) and Sam Spruell (The Hurt Locker) have joined the ever-expanding cast of director Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman. Cole and Spruell become the latest in a long line of casting news for the pic which has added the likes of Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Eddie Izzard, Toby Jones, and Ray Winstone this week alone. Per Variety, Cole will play Greta while Spruell will make a turn as Finn, the Queen’s henchman who is responsible for finding and killing Snow White and the Huntsman. In addition to the already mentioned cast, Snow White and the Huntsman also stars Chris Hemsworth (the Huntsman), Charlize Theron (the Queen), and Kristen Stewart (Snow White). The film is slated to begin production this fall while eyeing a June 1st, 2012 theatrical release. http://collider.com/lily-cole-snow-white-and-the-huntsman-sam-spruell/98600/

First Official Photo of John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe in "The Raven" Thriller

Posted: June 24th, 2011 by WorstPreviews.com Staff






Relativity Media has unveiled the first official photo of John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe in "The Raven" thriller, directed by James McTeigue (Ninja Assassin, V for Vendetta) and set to hit theaters on March 9th, 2012. Check it out below.

The new movie is a fictional story about what would happen if a serial killer challenged poet Edgar Allan Poe (Cusack) to solve a series of killings inspired by his own stories.

"It's sort of 'Se7en' meets a series of Poe stories. It's set in 1850s Baltimore, and it's about creating Poe's version of 1850s Baltimore, him moving through it. So it has a lot of the Poe stories interwoven into it," McTeigue previously stated, adding that Poe's real life will be used in the film as well






Read more: http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=22111&count=0

First Official Look At John Cusack In The Raven

published: 2011-06-24 16:59:21 Author: Eric Eisenberg

Though I'm not entirely sure why, I'm actually looking forward to James McTeigue's The Raven. Admittedly it's kind of strange to take one of history's greatest writers, Edgar Allan Poe, and turn him into a detective, but it could be fun and has a solid cast lined up in John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans and Brendan Gleeson. Back in November, some on-set photographers managed to get a shot of Cusack in costume, but today the first official photo has been released.

Though the new still cuts off at the actor's thighs so you can't see if he's still wearing those sweet black sneakers, you can't say that Cusack doesn't look pretty damn cool in the get up. Based on a script by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare, the plot is about a serial killer who is basing his crimes on those in Poe's stories. The movie isn't set to be released until March 9, 2012, but it will be featured in a Hall H panel at this year's San Diego Comic Con, so don't be too surprised if footage finds its way online sooner than later.

Check out the image below or click on it to see it full size in our Blend Film Datbase. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/First-Official-Look-At-John-Cusack-In-The-Raven-25399.html