It’s always strange when an actor decides to make an announcement about a role they’ll be playing instead of seeing it in a press release or through trade report.

Nevertheless, sometimes this does happen, and today John Cusack decided to share a sizable announcement via his Twitter account. The actor shared that he would be playing none other than Edgar Allan Poe in James McTeigue‘s new movie, The Raven. Cusack tweeted “officiali- will play edgar allen poe in fall-a-film called the raven, send any poe- gold – my way as i begin this journey into the abyss.”

Ninja Assassin
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by James McTeigue
Written by Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski
Starring Rain, Naomie Harris, Shô Kosugi, Ben Miles, Anna Sawai
Warner Home Video
Release Date: March 16, 2010

When Ninja Assassin first made its presence known to us, it sounded like it could be one of the more entertaining flicks on its way to our eyes. Sometimes the production process is a long and trying one, however, and when the movie’s release drew near and every single commercial break had a spot advertising it, I found myself personally losing interest at an alarming rate. The movie had gone from a fun and exciting prospect to a title that had seemingly over-done it before it had even hit theaters.

This of course wasn’t the best of set-ups for someone like myself entering into a review of the movie, but it’s been multiple months now since the theatrical run, allowing the persistent advertisement efforts to wear off enough for me to jump in.

Ninja Assassin tells the story of a secret society of ninjas who inherit orphaned children and turn them into the deadliest killers the world has ever seen, paid 100 pounds of gold (or its equivalent over time) to remove people who need removing. One of these boys is Raizo (Rain), one of the most promising students that their “Father” Ozunu (Shô Kosugi) has ever seen. As time goes on, Raizo realizes that the methods used to discipline the students is a little too extreme. These views are confirmed when it comes to a fellow-student named Kiriko (Anna Sawai), whom he cares deeply for, is punished. Raizo eventually turns his back on everything he’s ever known and leaves this family of ninjas — something that they do not take too kindly to.

Usually when a popular name is cast in a movie that has a solid buzz behind it, there’s a nice official announcement in the trades or via press release. In an interesting turn of events, it appears that this particular announcement was made in subtle passing.

In an article by The New York Times about how big of a boost it is to directors, writers, and actors after they grab themselves an Academy Award nomination, The Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner became the focus. While talking about how great his nod for Best Actor has been, and how it will allow him to get comfortable and pick the roles that he wants, it was revealed that Renner will be appearing in James McTeigue‘s The Raven.

If you watch any television at all, then you’ve surely seen the trailer for James McTeigue‘s (V for Vendetta) newest film Ninja Assassin about 45 times. After that film has come and gone, McTeigue already has his next project lined up and it will be a fictional story based on the life and works of author Edgar Allan Poe.

What we’ve learned so far is that the movie is called The Raven, and it tells the story of Poe being challenged by a serial killer to solve the murders that are based on his very own works. Most comparisons are to the movie Se7en, but in Poe’s dark and cold 1800s setting. We also know that the movie takes place in Poe’s final days, before his mysterious death at the early age of 40. The movie is written by Hannah Shakespeare and Ben Livingston.

Now comes some new information on the project from the mouth of McTeigue, who spoke to SciFi Wire recently, including what Edgar Allan Poe stories were looked to for inspiration (and likely many gruesome Poe-esque murders) in the movie, and where the casting path is leading toward.

For a while, James McTeigue was just one of the guys behind the scenes on great movies like The Matrix, which translated to a his first directing job on V for Vendetta — another wonderful film. Now that some positive feedback has come out of the Comic Con screening of his latest film, Ninja Assassin, this man is well on his way to becoming one of the top talents in the industry.

While Ninja Assassin is still a little ways off with a November release date, the director spoke to /Film recently about some of his upcoming projects, including the official confirmation of his next film: The Raven.

The movie will be loosely based on the final five days of the dark and legendary Edgar Allan Poe, adding a fictional tale about the author trying to track down a dangerous killer who is murdering people based on the writings of Poe himself.