/ Source: The Associated Press
John Cusack says Edgar Allan Poe was something of a rock star in his day.
Cusack is playing the writer in "The Raven," which filmmakers previewed Friday for fans at San Diego's Comic-Con. It is set for release next year.
The 45-year-old actor said he was eager to take on the role of the "godfather of Goth" in this fictionalized account of Poe's final days. In "The Raven," the writer forms a reluctant partnership with a police detective to catch a murderer who kills his victims by following elements of Poe's stories.
Cusack says Poe was a complicated man who was gloomy, funny, egotistical and charismatic. He navigated high and low society with equal grace. He says the film is "an art movie and a popcorn movie at once."