LOS ANGELES, Aug 31, (RTRS): John Cusack will portray Edgar Allan Poe in “The Raven,” a fictional thriller set during the last five days of the author’s life. The story follows Poe as he is forced to partner with a detective in search of a serial killer who has kidnapped his fiancee and has gone on a murder spree that mimics his works. The project will be directed by James McTeigue (“Ninja Assassin,” “V For Vendetta”). Shooting begins Oct. 25, with Budapest and Serbia standing in for 1849 Baltimore. Several actors have been attached to the project over the years, including Joaquin Phoenix, Ewan McGregor and Jeremy Renner. Cusack last starred in “Hot Tub Time Machine.”

Jonathan Liebesman (“The Texas Chainsaw Masacre: The Beginning”) has signed a deal to direct a sequel to “Clash of the Titans.” Liebesman had been in contention to nab the gig since early June, with negotiations stretching through the summer. Money was a factor, as was the hurdle of overcoming the negative perception of this year’s initial installment. The movie, a remake of the 1981 original, became a worldwide hit for Warner Bros. and financier Legendary Pictures, grossing more than $491 million, although it garnered many negative reviews.

The studio is hoping to right the wrongs, shooting it in 3D (as opposed to have it added during postproduction, as with the first movie). Sam Worthington and Gemma Arterton are among the actors expected to return for the second installment. Executives settled on Liebesman after seeing footage of “Battle: Los Angeles,” the director’s upcoming “Black Hawk Down”-style alien-invasion movie, which showed he could handle large-scale action and intense visual effects. The footage also impressed at Comic-Con, where is stood out from forthcoming wave of alien-invasion flicks.

A new crop of victims is assembling for “Final Destination 5” (a.k.a. “5nal Destination”), which starts shooting Sept. 13 in Vancouver. David Koechner, Nicholas D’Agosto, P.J. Byrne and Ellen Wroe are joining the already-cast Miles Fisher in the latest installment of the New Line movie series, which centers on the idea that you can’t cheat death. Each installment focuses on a group of people who survive a catastrophe but end up expiring in elaborate Rube Goldberg-like fashion. The new movie sees the new batch of victims, co-workers on a corporate retreat, escaping the collapse of a city’s suspension bridge.

Koechner (“The Office”) is playing a clueless executive, D’Agosto (“Heroes”) is playing a guy who doesn’t make fast decisions in his own life. Byrne (“Dinner for Schmucks”) plays an obnoxious kleptomaniac. Relative newcomer Wroe plays the daughter of a company executive, a woman with gymnast training who is a little snobby and for whom everything is a contest. Also, Tony Todd, who’s been involved in all but one of the “Destination” movies, is back playing Mr. Bludworth. Steven Quale directs.