KillYourDarlings Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm torn. Part of me is baffled by this casting announcement, while the other part wants to cry out: "Sweet!"

Variety reports that Jesse Eisenberg, the indie cutie from films like Roger Dodger and The Education of Charlie Banks, has been tapped to play poet Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings. This is that project that Christine Vachon is producing (written by Austin Bunn and director John Krokidas), which follows the story of Lucien Carr, and how he murdered William Burrough's childhood friend David Kammerer after a supposed unwanted sexual advance and physical attack.

Along with Eisenberg, it seems that Chris Evans, believe it or not, is set to play Jack Kerouac, and Ben Whishaw will take care of Carr. But Eisenberg ... he's become such the indie boy over these last handful of years that it'll be hard to imagine him donning the glasses and becoming a Beat icon. But hey, if Cate Blanchett can play Bob Dylan...

To help you figure out your take on the casting, I've given you a comparison above. The black and white shot of Carr, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs was taken in 1944, the year this all went down. With three set, are you happy with the choices? And who would you pick for Mr. Burroughs? I'm getting Stephen Dorff, Corin Nemec flashes, but that only would've worked in the '90s.

When it comes to cinematic resumes, few women have a roster as impressive and alluring as Christine Vachon. She's been behind some really great films over the last few decades, as well as some irresistible cult doozies. There are more challenging films like Kids, Safe, and Happiness, as well as the hard-hitting and wonderful Far From Heaven. But then there's her impressive array of biopics -- I Shot Andy Warhol, Boys Don't Cry, Party Monster, The Notorious Bettie Page, Infamous, I'm Not There. ...

Basically, this producer has got a solid hold on the film world of modern icons and newsmakers, and now she's adding one more. Variety reports that she's optioned John Krokidas (who will direct) and Austin Bunn's spec called Kill Your Darlings -- a biopic thriller about Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs. Why a thriller? This is about the infamous 1944 murder. Now this isn't that William Tell mess in 1951, but rather the story of Lucien Carr -- one of the Beats who murdered Burroughs' childhood friend David Kammerer. As the story goes, Kammerer had been pursuing Carr for a while, and met his death after a sexual advance and physical attack.

Vachon's involvement bodes well for the piece, but it will come down to who is cast in these iconic roles. Any ideas?