Stallone to write and direct Poe biopic

From today’s Variety:

Sylvester Stallone is turning a more literary page and will direct “Poe,” a film he wrote about the life of Edgar Allan Poe. Robert Downey Jr. is Stallone’s choice for the leading role.

Sylvester Stallone is turning a more literary page and will direct “Poe,” a film he wrote about the life of Edgar Allan Poe.

<FrankenVader>Nooooooooo!</FrankenVader>

Robert Downey Jr. is Stallone’s choice for the leading role.

Oh, well in that case…

-Tom

quoth the Raven “Adriaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!”

I don’t know, I’m willing to at least give it a looksee, though I admit I know bugger all about Poe other than what he wrote, is there an interesting enough life behind the books to make a film about?

I can see it now… Edgar Allan Poe triumphantly jogging up the courthouse steps in Baltimore… nevermore.

He got himself kicked out of West Point, as that was the only way you could leave back then. The legend is that he reported for guard duty wearing just his belts and his tarbucket (a hat). I don’t think that’s what actually happened though. But he did get himself kicked out somehow.

Then he slowly went nuts and was found dead in a gutter. At the time of his death, he owned several dozen cats. He goofed around with opium as well, IIRC.

Also married his cousin and everyone he knew died of consumption.

is that like vapors?

is that like vapors?[/quote]

Tuberculosis, I think?

Yes, consumption is tuberculosis. Originally named so because sharks are shaped like tubes and eat people.

Wasn’t he also a raging alchohalic?

Anyone remember a hybrid Mac/PC game from around '95 called “The Dark Eye?” It sported a vaguely Myst like interface, with sporadic animated sequences; you proceeded through a mystery yarn that incorporated Cask of Amontillado, Tell-tale Heart, and Berenice adaptations of the Poe stories. A simple clickfest of a game but I seem to remember it created a suitalbly creepy atmosphere.

Required 8MB of RAM. Wonder it its still floating around out there…

For a second there, I thought this was referring to a documentary about Portal of Evil.

  • Alan

Wait, a terminally depressed proto-goth dying via consumption! Un-heard of!

I STILL OWN IT. It was, as a matter of fact, the first game I bought for my ol’ 386 PC (which came with Myst). It was creepy enough, but the puzzles were a little lame. The overarching story that tied the individual Poe works together was pretty creepy. The artwork was excellent, a surreal blend of realism and The Nightmare Before Christmas art design.

I saw a biography of Stallone a few years ago and it covered his admiration for Poe. I’m not a fan of Stallone’s work in general, but he came across as rather introspective, intelligent and understood Poe’s darkness of personality as well as his work.

Fashionable cynicism and obvious Rocky jokes aside, I’m looking forward to seeing how well he does this.

Actually, in a lot of interviews I’ve seen with Stallone, he’s rather intelligent and well-spoken. His speech patterns are apparently the results of his mother’s failed attempt to have him aborted. And let’s be honest, he did a pretty good job writing the first Rocky (maybe not so much with other attempts). Since he seems to genuinely be interested in Poe, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

I’m glad something like this is being done.

“Yo Raven, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Stallone was also interested in open wheel racing yet look at what happened to ‘Driven’. </shudder>