Luke Evans: IAR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: LUKE EVANS TALKS 'THE RAVEN' AND 'THE HOBBIT' FILMS Tuesday, 24 April 2012 07:20 Written by Jami Philbrick

Actor Luke Evans has recently gained attention worldwide for his work in a string of period films including Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers and director Tarsem Singh’s Immortals. Not to mention that he will soon be seen playing Bard the Bowman in director Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. But first, Evans will be starring in another period movie entitled The Raven, which opens in theaters on April 27th and features a fictional account of the final days of acclaimed author Edgar Allan Poe’s life.

In the film, Evans plays Detective Emmett Fields, a 19th century Baltimore policeman who makes a shocking discovery: the crime he is investigating resembles a fictional murder described in detail as part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack). Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as inspiration for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks.

However, when it appears as if the murderer’s next victim is someone Poe cares about, the stakes become even higher and now the inventor of modern detective stories must call on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before its too late. The Raven was directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), and in addition to Cusack and Evans, also stars Alice Eve (ATM), Brendan Gleeson (The Guard), and Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).


READ MORE:  http://www.iamrogue.com/news/interviews/item/6329-iar-exclusive-interview-luke-evans-talks-the-raven-and-the-hobbit-films.html

Luke Evans Talks THE HOBBIT and What It’s Like to Shoot at 48 Frames Per Second on the RED EPIC by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub Posted:April 18th, 2012 at 7:42 pm (COLLIDER)

With director James McTeigue‘s (V for Vendetta, Ninja Assassin) The Raven opening April 27, earlier today I got to speak with Luke Evans by phone since he’s busy shooting Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit movies in New Zealand. If you’re not familiar with The Raven, the story takes place in 1840s Baltimore where a series of grisly murders appear to have been inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe (played by John Cusack). Poe and a detective (Evans) must team up to find the killer before he takes out the woman Poe loves (Alice Eve). The film also stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Brendan Gleeson. For more on the film, here’s the trailer and 40 images.

While I’ll have the full interview with Evans online next week, I wanted to share what he said about The Hobbit today. As most of you know, Jackson is shooting the films digitally on the RED EPIC in 3D and he’s pushing the boundaries of cinema forward by filming 48fps (frames per second) instead of the normal 24fps. What that means is, you’ll see very little motion blur when the camera moves or during the action scenes. I’ve seen 48fps and 60fps first hand and it’s like you’re looking through a window without any glass. It’s incredible. For more on 48fps, here’s Jackson’s recent video blog. Anyway, Evans talks about his reaction to this new way of filming and what it means to be involved in the films.


READ MORE:  http://collider.com/luke-evans-the-hobbit-interview/160241/

Luke Evans - 'The Raven'

'The Raven' to creep into theaters


Posted: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 12:45 pm Kathryn Brostowitz Western Courier

Edgar Alan Poe died in a Baltimore hospital on October 7, 1849. This year, Hollywood celebrated the anniversary of his death with the release of the trailer for a new movie "The Raven," starring John Cusack.

No, "The Raven" is not a movie adaptation of one of Poe's most famous poems, but a fictitious tale about the last few days of the storyteller's life.

As the story goes, Edgar Allan Poe was found wandering around aimlessly on October 3, 1849. He died four days later.

Since those last few days of his life have always been a mystery, people have developed their own stories over the years about what happened.

"The Raven," directed by James McTeigue, tells the story of a string of murders that mimic Poe's stories. When a Baltimore detective (Luke Evans) confronts Poe (John Cusack) suspecting he's behind the story, he realizes Poe cannot be the murderer. They end up joining forces to try and solve the mystery together.

A movie that has been described as a cross between 2009's "Sherlock Holmes" and 2001's "From Hell" would ordinarily be expected to draw attention from only one type of target audience, however it's been reported the film does have a little for everyone.

Evans reportedly told indiewire.com that the movie doesn't shy away from the "gory" details of Poe's stories. Perhaps the movie won't just fit into the mystery thriller genre, but horror as well.

Unfortunately for box office predictions, there have been mixed reviews when it comes to making movies based on the lives of famous authors. "The Hours," based on Virginia Woolf's life and famous novel "Mrs. Dalloway," was nominated for numerous Academy Awards. On the other hand, "Becoming Jane" (based on Jane Austen) and "Sylvia" (based on Sylvia Plath), fell short and were both soon forgotten by critics.

People are not likely to trust just anyone with their favorite literary heroes, and ordinarily, a director with few movies under his belt would not garner respect from audiences.

However, McTeigue's success with "V for Vendetta" coupled with the fact that Cusack eerily resembles Poe may help to bump the movie up on everyone's watch list.

This would be an ideal movie for the Halloween season. Unfortunately, since the anniversary of Poe's death was used as a premiere date for the movie's trailer, audiences will have to wait quite a while for the actual movie to be released.

"The Raven" is scheduled to premiere in theaters March, 2012.

Luke Evans - 'The Raven'

A day in Baltimore with movie star Luke Evans

Actor Luke Evans was in Baltimore this month to commemorate the death of Edgar Allan Poe. Evans will star in the upcoming film "The Raven."

Posted: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 11:40 am

A day in Baltimore with movie star Luke Evans By Teddy Durgin Special to the Cecil Whig

Actor Luke Evans was in Baltimore recently with director James ("V for Vendetta") McTeigue to lay a wreath on the grave of Edgar Allan Poe. The two were commemorating the 162nd anniversary of the literary legend’s death and promoting their upcoming film, "The Raven," in which Evans will play a police detective in 19th century Baltimore, tracking a killer who is using Poe's stories as inspiration for a real string of murders. John Cusack stars as Poe, and the film will hit screens in March.

I had the chance to sit down with Evans and McTiegue in the catacombs of the landmark Westminster Hall and Burial Grounds (where Poe was laid to rest) and talk all things literature, movies, and moviemaking.

My full interview will run closer to "The Raven's" release date. Fortunately, I had enough time with Evans to ask him about his other projects. I think the 32-year-old is a real up-and-coming actor. Having had small roles in the "Clash of the Titans" remake and Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood" in 2010, he has a string of upcoming major motion pictures that could catapult him to stardom.

This month, he appears as one of "The Three Musketeers" in Paul W.S. Anderson's silly version of the classic tale. Next month, he will play the role of Zeus in "Immortals" opposite the next Superman, Henry Cavill, as Theseus. Best of all, he has a major role in what will likely be next year's most anticipated film, "The Hobbit," marking Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth.

TEDDY DURGIN:
Well, we're here today to promote "The Raven." But I was also hoping you could talk a bit about "The Three Musketeers," coming out this month.

LUKE EVANS:
Yes, of course. What would you like to know? I can tell you there's three of us!

You play Aramis, correct?
Yes, I am Aramis. It's a retelling of Alexandre Dumas' story. Director Paul W.S. Anderson has re-imagined the story and brought it up to the 21st century. The classic narrative is still very strongly told. But we've added airships and other crazy things. I mean, everybody knows the Three Musketeers. I was brought up with it, and all of those characters are still there. But we have some great baddies. We have some great good guys. And, best of all, we've made it a family film. I think this is the first time D'Artagnan has ever been played by an 18-year-old. And on top of that, you add the James Cameron 3-D "Avatar" technology which brings the tale to life in a way you've never seen before. It's not only about the swords in your faces. You'll also see palaces and locations that have never been shot before in 3-D. I think it is a vivid and beautifully detailed film and very, very fun!

So you get to say the line, right? I mean, THE line?
Oh, yes. (laughing) "All for one and one for all!" It's funny. I went from the "Musketeers" and the 17th century straight to "The Raven" and the 19th century and then to "The Immortals." I feel as much like a time traveler as an actor! But I'm making a living doing the funnest thing I've ever done in my life, and the fact that I get to do this stuff for a living is ... well, it's a dream, and I don't ever take anything for granted. I mean, look where I am. I'm in the catacombs of Westminster Hall!

I understand you are quite the singer. Would you like to do a big-screen musical?
I would love to! It was my first love, my first passion. I spent nine years making a living doing it on the West End stage. I miss it. I don't ever stop singing. I'm always singing. But it would be nice to marry the two careers I've had. And who knows? Musical films seem to be here to stay. So, when the timing is right, the project is right, and the role is right, I would 100-percent like to do it!


You mentioned 3D earlier. What are your thoughts on the technology? Do you think it's the future of movies? Do you think it's a fad?
I have done five films that have used the technology. "The Hobbit" – which is what I am doing right now – we're shooting it with more frames so we can speed up action shots and stuff like that, which has never been done before. I do think kids have a problem with it because they don't like to wear the glasses. The way 3-D is going right now is, it's not about the roller-coaster at Disney World where you stand and you fall over. It's not about that anymore when it comes to a story like "The Hobbit" or "The Great Gatsby" [which Baz Luhrmann is shooting right now in 3D] or even "The Three Musketeers." It's being used more and more to immerse the viewer, and that's something that can only be appreciated by an older moviegoer ... an adult or a teenager.

They don't want to necessarily be poked in the face with a sword or seemingly splashed with water. Those things are sort of dying out when it comes to this new art form of the 3D. From what I've seen, it has definitely earned its place in the movie world. That said, certain films don't need to be in 3D. "The Raven" did not need to be in 3D. It's stunning as it is.


Who will you be playing in "The Hobbit?"
I play Bard the Bowman. I'm the dragon killer … in 3D!

Luke Evans and James McTeigue laid a wreath at Edgar Allan Poe's grave

BALTIMORE — Actor Luke Evans and director James McTeigue laid a wreath at Edgar Allan Poe's grave as they paid their respects and talked about their upcoming film "The Raven," which re-imagines the American writer's last days.

Evans, 32, plays a young Baltimore detective hunting for a killer who is using Poe's grisly stories as the inspiration for a string of murders. John Cusack plays Poe, who joins the hunt.
Poe died in Baltimore on Oct. 7, 1849.

Evans said he was captured by Poe's biography and considers him the "godfather of American literature." He said he learned of Poe's heartbreak and alcoholism and his unique role in history as the first American writer who tried to make a living by writing.

"This man started something that's still thriving today, the murder stories and the detective," Evans told The Associated Press. "He was the beginning of all of that."
The movie is a blend of fact and fiction, marrying Poe's tumultuous life with his stories, which sets it apart from other Poe films, McTeigue said.

Poe's famous poem, "The Raven" figures into the script in a scene where he gives a dramatic reading of the poem to a lady's society luncheon. It's clear, though, that Poe is just "going through the motions because he has to make a living," McTeigue said.

Both Evans, who is Welsh, and McTeigue, who is Australian and known for his film "V for Vendetta," were eager to visit Baltimore for the first time. McTeigue said he researched Baltimore scenes for the film, but it was shot in Budapest, Hungary, for its older architecture.
Visual effects were used to add the historic Baltimore Harbor, Fell's Point and the city's Washington Monument to the film.

"The Baltimore of 1849 doesn't exist anymore," McTeigue said. Still, he said, "it's nice to come and walk the streets and be where Poe is."

LUKE EVANS - 'THE RAVEN' THE ROGERS REVIEW

INTERVUE: THE RAVEN Director James McTeigue and Star Luke Evans Honor Edgar Allan Poe

VIA @LUKEEVANS_NEWS


Actor Luke Evans(front) and director James McTeigue at Westminster Hall
On Friday, October 7th, at Westminster Hall in Baltimore, a commemorative wreath laying ceremony took place at the grave site of Edgar Allan Poe, honoring the enigmatic author on the 162nd anniversary of his death. Participating in the event were James McTeigue and actor Luke Evans, director and star respectively of the upcoming period thriller The Raven, a fictionalized account of Poe’s final days in 1849 Baltimore. The film incorporates the life of the author, played by John Cusack, into a story about a serial killer whose murderous spree is inspired by Poe’s own writing. Mr. McTeigue and Mr. Evans met with us in the catacombs of the historic gothic church to discuss the legendary poet of the macabre and satisfy our morbid curiosity about the production of The Raven, which opens nationwide on March 9th, 2012.

“It’s a great story,” said Evans, who plays Emmett Fields, the detective investigating the grisly murders. “I could see how cleverly the writers had married the life of Poe with the story and fictionalized his final days, which none of us really know about. He disappeared for five days and was found in a park hallucinating in someone else’s clothing. It’s intriguing now, even a hundred sixty-two years later, which really says something about the man, his legacy and his talent.”


McTeigue, best known for directing V for Vendetta, Ninja Assassin and his assistant direction on The Matrix sequels, worked with the screenplay by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare.

“The killer [in The Raven] is putting a twist on all of Poe’s stories,” explained the Australian director. “So we had to drop Luke’s character into all those moments. There is some pretty gruesome stuff that Detective Fields comes up against, whereas Poe is writing about everything that Fields is confronted with on a daily basis.”

“Fields is sort of repulsed by Poe,” interjected Evans, who agrees that his character is a bit ‘buttoned up’. “Because this man is making entertainment out of what he has to do for a living. So he almost blames Poe, because if he hadn’t written these dark, vulgar, gory stories, maybe this person wouldn’t have been going around Baltimore killing people. And it’s a very interesting dynamic, how these two minds from the opposite sides of the social spectrum come together. It’s got a great temper, this film, and it never stops.”

The director talked about recreating areas of Baltimore in the 19th Century, which he set purposefully by the harbor. “We didn’t film it here, because 1849 Baltimore obviously doesn’t exist anymore,” McTeigue told us. “The [Great Fire] in 1904 destroyed most of what would have been left of that time. So we actually filmed in Budapest. In some ways it was kind of liberating, because there’s a lot of architecture that’s very similar. Through some art direction and visual effects we were able to make it feel like Baltimore.”

Evans talked about visiting the cobblestone streets of Fells Point earlier that day, imagining the history of the area that was recreated for the film during many bitter cold night shoots in Eastern Europe. “This is where it all happened,” marveled the Welsh native. “If you were a big drinker, you did opium and all those things… this is where you’d hang out, by the docks. This was the stomping ground of people like Poe, people of the night, hanging out in these bars where all the dark souls of Baltimore would have been.”


“I was able to layer Emmett Fields based on Poe and his life, the people he knew and the places he frequented,” elaborated Evans. “I was able to use all that to inform my character, even though he is fictional. It was a really interesting job, and that’s why I relish doing period films, especially if they’re factual. (Laughing) I can say I know much more about Poe now than I did a year ago….” And about working with Cusack: ”John comes at every role with such ease and style. He puts his stamp on it, and he definitely does that with Poe. You actually forget it’s John Cusack, I felt like I was playing against Poe himself.”

I asked McTeigue about his brand of filmmaking and whether he altered his style or incorporated any new technologies into developing the atmosphere of a period piece.
“Obviously a lot of people are starting to shoot in digital, but I felt like The Raven lent itself to film. Ultimately I’m trying to make a piece of entertainment and yeah, I want to put my own stamp on it. I tried to make it in a fashion that was accessible but that also spoke to Poe and his stories the way that people would imagine them. There’s a certain darkness to it, but it’s not too heavy – hopefully, at some point you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of one of his stories.”
I was curious about how much of Poe’s actual life was incorporated into the fictional side of the character played by John Cusack.

“A decent amount actually,” responded McTeigue. “It is a piece of fiction; I don’t pretend that this is a biopic of his life. But if you know anything about Poe, there are facts woven throughout the film that mirror his life. The film ostensibly becomes about Poe in the middle of one of his own stories.”


I asked Evans if a particularly daunting moment came to mind while filming The Raven.
“We dealt with a lot of very bloody, gory murder scenes. And then [Fields] gets shot in the shoulder in one scene, obviously I’ve never been shot in the shoulder, so you have to imagine how that would feel. You shoot ten or twenty times from different angles and that is always very hard because you have to be consistent. If you start off at one level, that’s the level you have to maintain for the rest of the day. My character at the time doesn’t really want to stop because he’s so close to catching this killer, so he’s sort of carrying on with this bullet in his shoulder. (Laughing) Probably the hardest scene of all was having it extracted!”

Luke Evans, who spent nine years performing musical theatre, began making feature films in 2010. His burgeoning career includes Tamara Drewe, Clash of the Titans and this years Immortals. He plays Aramis in The Three Musketeers, Paul W.S. Anderson’s contemporary spin on the classic tale which hits theaters in 3D on October 21st. Currently filming Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit in New Zealand, Evans said it would be nice to one day combine the two careers.

“Musical films seem like they’re here to stay,” he said before admitting that he had coerced the cast and crew of The Raven to have karaoke at their halfway party. “With the right timing and the right project, I’d definitely do it.”

“He’s just trying to break out of the karaoke bars,” ribbed McTeigue.

The Raven opens nationwide on March 9th, 2012.
TRR Intervue and Commentary by Michael Parsons
Photographs by Alissa Parsons

LUKE EVANS - 'THE RAVEN'

A brilliant interview of Luke Evans and director James McTeigue of 'The Raven' was posted and shared by @HUFFLEPANTS.

Luke talks about playing detective Emmet Fields in 'The Raven', 'The Three Musketeers', the future of his singing career, 'The Hobbit' and much, much more.

Please visit GEEKFORE to read the full interview!

Thanks to Hufflepants for forwarding fans questions to Luke Evans!

LUKE EVANS - 'THE RAVEN'

A VIDEO OF THE Q&A HELD LAST FRIDAY IN BALTIMORE (CBS NEWS BALTIMORE)

Thanks to @LUKEEVANS NEWS for finding this video of the Q&A session that took place last Friday in Baltimore on the ocassion of Edgar Allan Poe's 162nd death anniversary. Actor Luke Evans and director James McTeigue were in attendance to talk about 'The Raven'.

Watch the video HERE

LUKE EVANS - THE RAVEN

Interview: James McTeigue & Luke Evans on 'The Raven'

Source: Ryan Turek, Managing Editor October 7, 2011

Shock Till You Drop was one of a very small group of outlets selected to speak with director James McTeigue and actor Luke Evans about The Raven, the thriller opening from Relativity on March 9, 2012. The timing of the interview was significant for two reasons. The trailer made its premiere, also, today marks the 162nd anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's death.

To promote the release of the The Raven, Relativity had black-wrapped cars, mannequins, and trash cans with "RIP EAP" emblazoned on them strewn around Baltimore, Maryland where Poe is buried. There, McTeigue and Evans spoke to us on the phone from Westminster Hall. Below they discuss the nature of the film, how star John Cusack got into the role of Poe, the dynamic of the two lead characters and The Raven's grisly recreations of Poe's stories.

Question: How much of the film is based on fact and how much is fantastical?

James McTeigue: There's a portion of it that's fantastical because Poe is in the middle of a murder mystery, a serial killer's loose in Baltimore, Maryland in 1849. That is the fiction. The nice thing was taking facts of Poe's life, using some of his stories, and melding them together in this fictional tale.

Question: And Luke, how do you factor into this?

Luke Evans: I play a detective character named Emmett Fields who works on the Baltimore police force. You're introduced to him when he finds the first murder by a serial killer who is inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. He brings Poe in primarily as a suspect and realizes that he's not the suspect. The story unfolds and Poe has to work with my character as the killer leaves behind clues. Two unlikely characters who would never work together in real life. They're not similar. One is methodical and a detective, the other is a poet, an alcoholic, a drug taker. They're forced to work together before the killer strikes again.

Question: What is it about this period horror story that you found that makes it relatable to you or the audience?

McTeigue: Horror stories are timeless, I think that's why [Poe] is still so iconic. He was the precursor to detective fiction, science fiction and influenced everyone, a myriad of people. What attracted me to this film was the opportunity to make a film that was partially about Poe's life, but also the chance to touch on Poe's stories. The motif of this story is a murderer taking a twist on Poe's stories and adding a twist to them. The killer constructs this environment so Poe finds himself in the middle of one of his stories. The fantasy element is always great in a period film.

Question: You mentioned Poe was an alcoholic and a drug abuser, does that take an active role in the plot?

McTeigue: It's there, we don't shy away from it. That's the reality of Poe's life. Part of his troubles was being an alcoholic, that's all in the film. It would be hard to do a movie where Edgar Allan Poe was a character and to shy away from that. It's what made the man and informed his stories.

Evans: I also think this film, it doesn't shy away from how gory and detailed the murder stories Poe wrote and how topical and shocking they are today. James wanted to make a movie that didn't shy away from any of that. It's a proper gothic, mystery, suspense thriller. All of those murder scenes and crime scenes definitely give it a scary edge.

Question: You're not shying away from an R rating…

McTeigue: Not at all.

Question: Talk about John Cusack's interpretation of Poe and what did he bring to the role?

McTeigue: John, the first time I met him, knew a lot about Poe. And then we talked about if he was to play Poe, it would be great to get him into that skin. I think he went a long way to do that. He lost weight to give himself a drawn Poe look. He grew a goatee and died his hair a little blacker than it usually is, to get into that physical space. He was friends with Hunter S. Thompson and he could see parallels between Hunter and Poe. I think that helped inform the character. He came to the set fully formed, which was nice.

Question: The murder scenes that are recreations of Poe's works, we see a bit of them in the trailer, how extreme do they get? Are they rivaling some of the on-screen nastiness we're seeing in modern horror pictures?

McTeigue: The construct of a killer taking Poe's stories and putting a new twist on them were fun to do, like the aftermath of the Murders in the Rue Morgue and it was great to create our version of the Pit and the Pendulum and parts of The Tell-Tale Heart. It was definitely great creating them all because Poe obviously had a macabre sense of humor as well as a macabre sensibility. I'm not trying to compete with movies like Saw, which are very particular. We're more in the psychological thriller mode.

Question: How difficult is it to juggle the demands of properly adapting the Poe material and deviating from them for the sake of the story?

McTeigue: With Edgar Allan Poe who is so well known, I think there will always be people who will call you out on inaccuracies, but in any adaptation that you try to do, you try to get the essence of the character. The essence of Poe and what were parts of his life. If you nail those, as long as you're true to some of those stories, people will enjoy it for entertainment's sake.

Question: Is this film along the lines of Sleepy Hollow where there's some fun to it? Or is it straight horror in terms of tone?

McTeigue: I would say it's more like a film like Seven. That film uses the seven deadly sins as a motif and it's about two people working out what the killer's next move is. This is two disparate characters trying to come together to get inside the mind of a killer and see what story he'll do next. Whether they can break down these complex clues he leaves to catch him.

Evans: There is horror in it and it's got a strong narrative with some complex characters as well, which I think is important, although the murders are gory and vivid, there is a strong narrative which is important for the characters journeys.

McTeigue: Poe has definitely sense of humor in the movie, too. And his stories have a macabre sense of humor, that's apparent in the film.

Question: What do you do to differentiate this from being something like Sherlock Holmes and the Holmes/Watson dynamic?

McTeigue: For me, personally, no dis to Sherlock Holmes, watching Robert Downey, Jr. being comedic for two hours, you sort of get lost in that. Sometimes Jude Law wasn't calling him Sherlock and I was forgetting I was watching a Sherlock Holmes movies. [laughs] We're a much different beast to that. It's not as comedic as Sherlock Holmes. There are parallels there, they're period and we're period, and there are two central characters, but we're about as close to Sherlock Holmes as Transformers is.

Evans: Also, I think, the relationship between those two characters, you might think it's like Holmes and Watson, in the movie they spend a lot of time fighting against one another because one doesn't respect the other. The journey is completely different. They have to find common ground to speak civilly to one another.

Source: SHOCKTILYOUDROP.COM

via @LukeEvans Talk"

LUKE EVANS IN BALTIMORE

WELSH ACTOR LUKE EVANS AND DIRECTOR JAMES MCTEIGUE PROMOTE 'THE RAVEN' IN BALTIMORE

Read all the press about today's event in Baltimore's Westminster Hall, Poe's burial site, on the ocassion of the 162nd anniversary of his death and the release of the crime thriller 'The Raven' which will be released on March 9, 2012.


RAE NEWMAN'S BLOG


AN ACTOR'S NOTEBOOK


BUZZBO.COM


POE BICENTENNIAL

LUKE EVANS

NEW IMAGE OF LUKE EVANS IN THE RAVEN
Posted by Samuel Zimmerman Oct 06, 2011

To whet your appetite for its trailer premiere tomorrow (on Poe's death day), two new images from THE RAVEN have debuted online.

THE RAVEN is James McTeigue's (V FOR VENDETTA) yarn of a fictionalized Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack) helping to solve murders based on his works. The official synopsis reads:

"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."

Tomorrow, being the 162nd anniversary of the Poe's death will see not only a trailer, but McTeigue and Evans take part in a tribute at the legendary and influential author's gravesite. If the trailer is that which played San Diego Comic-Con this past July, expect a popcorny thriller that looks to be possibly trying to hard to incorporate contemporary trends in its presentation, but could be a whole lot of grisly fun.

Source: fangoria.com

via @LukeEvans_News

LUKE EVANS IN BALTIMORE

BALTIMORE!!



YOU AND A GUEST ARE INVITED TO A VERY SPECIAL EVENT

MEET DIRECTOR JAMES MCTEIGUE (V FOR VENDETTA) AND ACTOR LUKE EVANS (THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE HOBBIT, IMMORTALS), THE STAR OF THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED THRILLER SET IN BALTIMORE — “THE RAVEN” AS THEY HONOR THE 162ND ANNIVERSARY OF EDGAR ALLAN POE’S DEATH

**THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7TH AT 12:00NOON – WESTMINSTER HALL**


WHERE: WESTMINSTER HALL (EDGAR ALLAN POE’S BURIAL SITE)

519 West Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21201



THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC


ABOUT THE FILM

In this gritty thriller, Edgar Allan 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).



EDGAR ALLAN POE

Edgar Allan Poe (19 January 1809 – 7 October, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor and critic. Best known for his Gothic and horror stories and poems, Poe championed the short story as a literary form, contributed to the growing science fiction genre emerging in his day, and is the inventor of the modern “detective story” as we now know it. Poe lived a brief life of continued financial hardship sparked by flares of creative and critical success. Born in Boston to David and Elizabeth Poe, working actors, his father’s disappearance and mother’s premature death forced him into a pseudo-adoption by John Allan of Virginia, where he grew to consider himself a “Southern Gentleman” for the remainder of his life. As a student at West Point, poetry captured his fervent imagination, and he became a writer, winning his first monetary prize for his writing in Baltimore, Maryland. Shuttling between Richmond, Philadelphia and New York through-out his turbulent life, jumping between newspaper and magazine editorial jobs while gaining notoriety for his Gothic short stories, Baltimore became more of a home for him than other cities. His paternal grandfather and brother lived in Baltimore, and it was in Baltimore that he lived for many years with his Aunt, Maria Clemm, whom he considered more than anything else to be his “mother”, and his child-bride, Virginia. It is in Baltimore that he died under mysterious circumstances in the autumn of 1849, and it is in Baltimore where he is buried, along-side Clemm and Virginia Poe.

THE RAVEN opens nationwide on March 9, 2012

SOURCE: atomicpopcorn.net

via @Mr_Luke_Evans

LUKE EVANS - THE RAVEN

BALTIMORE: MEET “THE RAVEN” DIRECTOR JAMES McTEIGUE AND STAR LUKE EVANS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2011 AT WESTMINSTER HALL!

Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans, The Hobbit), star of Relativity Media’s highly-anticipated film The Raven and the film’s director James McTeigue (V For Vendetta) to pay special honor at Baltimore’s Westminster Hall on the 162nd Anniversary of the death of Edgar Allan Poe. Come on out on Friday and support The Poe House and Museum, and show your love for Poe!


On Friday, October 7th, 2011 Poe and film fans are invited at noon, promptly, on a first come, first admitted basis. Meet one of the stars and the director of The Raven and participate in a Question and Answer session about the up-coming film. A wreath-laying presentation at Poe’s grave will take place at 2:30pm.


Westminster Hall, where Edgar Allan Poe is buried, is located at 519 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. This event is free and open to the public. Limited space available, so arrive promptly at noon. First come, first admittance.


Read more at An Actor's Notebook

Thanks again to @LukeEvans_News