Luke Evans and Alice Eve are in talks to join John Cusack in the Edgar Allan Poe-centered period thriller The Raven, directed by James McTeigue.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Luke Evans replaces Jeremy Renner, who was set to star in The Raven but opted out for Mission: Impossible 4.

Luke Evans will play a detective who partners with Poe (John Cusack) to search for a serial killer who has kidnapped the author's fiancee (Alice Eve) and has gone on a murder spree that mimics the author's work.

The project begins shooting Oct. 25, with Budapest and Serbia standing in for 1849 Baltimore.