Sylvester Stallone is currently busy finishing up work on Rambo IV, and may even end up doing a Rambo V, but the Sly project I’m most interested in is the one he’s doing after Rambo, a film about tortured poet Edgar Allan Poe. The movie’s traveled a rocky road to get going, but it’s starting to look like Poe will actually get made. If the film finally does happen, we may know who Stallone is casting as his Edgar Allan.
Tonight we got a fittingly strange email (Poe and weird just go together), which appears to be from one of our regular scoopers. This is a guy who’s given us at least somewhat reliable information before, so this could actually be something. Or, it could be just another Stallone related hoax, like the Stallone for Shutter Island rumor some fell for earlier this week. So read on, and take this for what it is: unconfirmed rumor.
Our source says, “Stallone has recently met with Viggo Mortensen and has offered him the role of Edgar Allan Poe in the film. Mortensen is consdiering the role although he wants some slight revisions in the script.” Yep, Viggo Mortensen could end up doing drugs and quothing the Raven for Sly. How cool is that notion?
At one point Robert Downey Jr. was rumored to be up for this part, but that was so long ago he’s almost certainly moved on by now. Viggo Mortensen is currently shooting a movie called Appaloosa for Ed Harris, but after that he may be free to squeeze something like Poe in. Of course with the strike on, who knows when they’ll be able to start filming Poe anyway, so scheduling wouldn’t be a problem. And if what our source says is true, then it sounds like he’s not only been offered it, but he’s at least a little interested in it.
As I write this it’s a little after midnight, which means there’s no chance of getting any confirmation until morning, and even then odds are slim I’ll be able to reach anyone. Isn’t everyone in Hollywood either at home or standing in the street striking? We’ll give it our best shot though, and let you know as soon as we’re able to get some sort of official word on the validity of this rumor.
Personally, I’d love to see Viggo try something like this. He’s done some amazing work since Lord of the Rings, but almost all of it has played in some way on his action hero persona. This would be a chance for him to toss out all the muscle-bound action junk and simply act.
UPDATE! We've been able to get a little more information from our source this morning, and a lot of what he's saying checks out. This is starting to look credible. Additionally, our source has also told us that if Viggo doesn't take the part, Clifton Collins Jr. (recently cast in Star Trek) and John Hawkes are being considered as backup options for the role.
