The Sylvester Stallone Edgar Allan Poe Movie Starring Robert Downey Jr. Is Incredible
Sylvester Stallone and Robert Downey Jr. almost made an Edgar Allan Poe movie.
This article is more than 2 years old
For years, in fact, going back to his pre-Rocky days, Sylvester Stallone was intent on writing one script. This script was a biopic about famed novelist and poet Edgar Allan Poe, and it was simply going to be titled, Poe. Now, nearly 50 years after starting it, is Stallone ready to get it made? If so, who does he see as his Edgar Allan Poe?
Well, you may be surprised to find out that initially, Stallone only saw himself as Edgar Allan Poe. According to the Rambo star, he even went as far as costume testing for the role, something he speaks about on his Instagram, while providing fans with the one and only remaining photo from that costume test. You can see the photo here.
He included this caption with the pic, stating, “The only surviving picture that has never been seen anywhere before… The first serious screenplay I ever wrote was about the great writer Edgar Allan Poe, at one time I had aspirations to play him and this was part of the costume design… But I realized I wasn’t really right for the part, so this is all that remains. Maybe someday I’ll direct, who know?”
So, if Stallone finally saw the light and knew he wasn’t right for the part, did he have someone else in mind to play Poe? He did and that was Robert Downey Jr.
When Stallone approached Downey Jr. about playing Poe, the two weren’t exactly at the height of their careers. Downey Jr. shared the time the two had dinner and talked about the project. Downey Jr. says Stallone was quite candid saying, “He said we should wait until I’m ‘hot’ again, so we can do this at a big studio.”
But three years later, Downey Jr. was still all in explaining via Screenrant that there was a film he was interested in and that “Stallone wrote a great script that he wants to direct about Edgar Allan Poe.”
No further details were given by Downey Jr. and obviously, the film was never made. According to the writer himself, he hadn’t even completed the script until recently.
“It’s a never-ending journey, and I would hate myself if I don’t continue it at least to the best of my ability and try to see it, actually, come to fruition,” Sylvester Stallone said via Movieweb. “To be able to go out there and say, ‘I accomplished it. It may have taken 45 years, 50 years, but it’s done.’ Anyway. That’s what I’m working on. It’s been one of the great challenges of my life.”
Edgar Allan Poe, even today, remains one of America’s most celebrated poets and novelists. Born in 1809, the famed author died under mysterious circumstances in 1849 at the young age of 40-years-old. Poe, whose famous works include The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart, was found delirious and near death on October 3, 1849, on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland.
He was taken to Washington Medical College where he would remain, unseen by no one but his doctor, until his death on October 7, 1849, a short four days later. While there are no specifics concerning his death (all medical records, documents, and death certificates, if any of these ever existed) have been lost. We’re not sure what Sylvester Stallone feels about the mystery.
Many attribute his eventual death to alcoholism. Some say that it was hypoglycemia, while another says it was murder. There were also suggestions that Poe committed suicide from depression, something he was said to have attempted a year prior. Even today, the mystery surrounding Poe’s death remains.
With Stallone and Downey Jr’s Poe falling by the wayside, another version did crop up back in 2012. This was titled The Raven and had John Cusack playing Poe and it was a fictionalized account of the author’s final days.
The film followed Poe in pursuit of a serial killer who was mirroring Poe’s works to do his dastardly deeds. While much of the film was fictional, the film’s scribes also based their story on real-life situations surrounding Poe’s mysterious death.
Now that Sylvester Stallone has completed a script he started nearly 50 years ago, will he finally be able to get the backing of a studio? Both actors’ careers have taken a drastic turn for the better, with Stallone hitting the repeat button with both Rocky and Rambo while also introducing the world to his Expendables.
Robert Downey Jr. has probably even been a bigger factor at the box office with his numerous MCU appearances as Tony Stark/Iron Man. He can be forgiven for his latest misfire, Dolittle.
Both men are again hitting the repeat button with Sylvester Stallone teeing up another run with The Expendables 4 while Robert Downey Jr. heads back to Victorian London with his third go-around as Sherlock Holmes.
The thought of seeing Robert Downey Jr. chew the scenery as Edgar Allan Poe with Sly Stallone directing is quite enticing. Who else is up for it? Let us know GFR’ers.
