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Joaquin Phoenix Might Return to Acting as Edgar Allen Poe?

by Ethan Anderton
March 12, 2010
Source: The Playlist

Joaquin Phoenix / The Beautiful Cigar Girl

By now everyone knows that Joaquin Phoenix quit acting a few years ago to grow a simply amazing bird's nest of a beard (seen above) and presumably fall into obscurity. However, fans of Phoenix may be excited to hear that he may be making a return to acting after all. The Mumbai Mirror (via The Playlist) recently spoke with sound recordist Resul Pookutty who said, "I couldn't be happier because I am doing a period film. It's an adaptation of The Beautiful Cigar Girl by Daniel Stashower and based on an eerie real-life experience of author Edgar Allen Poe which happened just months before his death. Joaquin plays Edgar Allen Poe."

The novel itself is based on a true story and is in no way related to James McTeigue's forthcoming Poe film The Raven featuring Jeremy Renner. Here's what Entertainment Weekly says about Stashower's Poe book:

In July 1841, Mary Rogers, a beautiful young New York cigar clerk, was strangled and her body tossed in the Hudson River, a crime so ghastly that it pitted the city's sensational tabloids against each other in a contest of rumor and speculation. Due to a bungled investigation from start to finish, the murder appealed enough to Edgar Allan Poe that he co-opted it for ''The Mystery of Marie Rogêt.'' Knocking back and forth between the unending case and Poe's utterly depressing life cycle of debt, poverty, and alcoholism, Daniel Stashower's Cigar Girl takes a solidly comprehensive look at the predecessor to today's all-too-common media crime frenzies.

There's definitely a part of me that would love to see Phoenix return to the big screen again, especially in an interesting role like this, different from anything he's ever done before. However, this is the first we've heard of this project at all and have no idea who is attached as writer, director or know of anybody else involved, so don't get too excited about it just yet. I'm sure it has some potential and there are probably some smart creative minds behind it, but details are so sketchy at the moment, it's hard to call anything fact right now. So stay tuned as we wait to hear any official confirmation or announcements about this new project and, of course, about Phoenix's involvement. Do you guys want to see Joaquin Phoenix return to acting?

Update: According to this new update from Canoe, Phoenix' reps confirmed that he is not involved in this project and is not returning to acting. They don't say much else, but it looks like this was just a faux-story that got blown way out of proportion. Although I still would like to see Phoenix returning to acting one day.

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Related categories: Casting, Movie News, Opinions

Xerxex

YES! He is the perfect guy for this role. Let this be true! I had thought Casey Affleck was doing a documentary based on Phoenix's career in the music industry.
jebstuart

please god let him act again
Marshall Tang

I'd much rather hear more of his rap! I'm curious to know if he wrote the phrase on his knuckles in the mirror. In all seriousness though, he would make a great Poe, wouldn't take much to get him into character.
davey into savory

who gives a shit.
Xerxex

#4 Fans of Edgar Allen Poe, and fans of Joaquin Phoenix. DUH!
http://www.internapse.com Scott

He's quite possibly one of the worst musicians ever and looked about as insane as one could be when he was on Letterman, so I'd really like to see him return to his natural craft of acting. He really shined as Johnny Cash and I think the craziness of Edgar Allan Poe is right up his alley.
Craig

#6 His behavior on Letterman and his "rapping" were for a role in his new Borat-esque mockumentary. I can definitely see him as Poe. I'm not a huge fan of biopics though, so I'll have to see a trailer before I decide if I'm interested in seeing this.
Mony

Has his musica career even gone anywhere? He has issues.
Risk

Thank sweet Jesus. I thought I'd never see him on the big screen ever again. He's amazing.
http://www.bestromancemovies.com/ Top Romantic Movies

Joaquin is such an amazing actor! I am glad to hear that he will be coming back to acting and I think he will portray Poe perfectly! Looking forward to seeing him back in films!
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

More rap, more rap, but he does look a little like Poe. He needs to lay off the coke and get back to doing proper work, he he.
DoomCanoe

he needs to get off drugs first
nipplenuggets

He needs to do HIGHLANDER 3D. THat is the only role for him!
Rob

He's not that special.... I'm with #4
sickdoghats

return to paradise was his finest film.
Yvette

I absolutely want him to return to acting, but I’m sick of everyone giving credit to Stashower for a book that is not original. There were a number of books (many of them titled "The Beautiful Cigar Girl" in the 19th century about the murder and Poe. In the 1970s, two books came out on the subject - one by Raymond Paul and one by Amy Srebnick. Raymond Paul figured out a possible solution to the case that makes a lot of sense. There is also a good graphic novel by Rick Geary. That graphic novel would make a great film. Stashower just came afterwards and summarized the work that the original researchers had done.
Squiggly_P

Phoenix might end up being the third famous person to die if he doesn't get off the smack. I dunno what the hell happened to him, but one year he was a bright, funny guy whenever he gave an interview and now he reminds me of the unibomber. If they were going to make a film about the Manson family, he'd be perfect for the lead role. And that's kinda sad, really.
branden

all you Joaquin haters need to watch Gladiator and Walk the Line again. If all you saw him in was Ladder 49 and Signs, then you're missing out.
Laura

Joaquin as Edgar equals great acting comeback from fake breakdown. Good job with the hoax, Joaquin!
Marisa122397

I would really like to see him do another movie because he is such an AWESOME actor! I'm hoping he does the Edgar Allen Poe movie. Plus, he should have won the Oscar for gladiator. I wish he did

Documentsnursing8

I agree wih u. He should have won the oscar for gladiator. Brilliant actor, crazy as hell though. I think he was molested as a child.