Relativity Media has released the official first look from their upcoming film The Raven.

Check out the image above of the film’s star John Cusack as the tormented Edgar Allan Poe. The movie, directed by James McTeigue, also stars Luke Evans, Brendan Gleeson, Alice Eve, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. Official synopsis is below.

The Raven, which is actually the movie’s working title, opens in theaters on March 9, 2012.

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.”

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.

You know how I love me some Shatner, right?

So, whenever a juicy blast from William Shatner‘s past surfaces online, I just revel in it.

Today’s entry is in the form a video clip taken from a 1983 special, Magical Musical Halloween, and is of Shatner in character as Edgar Allan Poe reciting the author’s most famous poem, The Raven.

Check out the nearly six-minute video here below.

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.