Earlier today, EW reported that Jesse Eisenberg, Chris Evans, and Ben Whishaw will be starring in Kill Your Darlings, a biopic about the Beat Generation. Eisenberg is playing poet Allen Ginsberg; Evans, writer Jack Kerouac; and Whishaw, Lucien Carr, who, according to the movie’s press release, was "the Columbia University undergraduate who brought together a young Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs with the dream of starting a literary revolution." Darlings will focus on the events of August 13, 1944, when Carr murdered his friend David Kammerer with a Boy Scout knife in Manhattan’s Riverside Park. According to the report Carr made at the time, the two men fought after Carr rejected Kammerer’s sexual advances. Carr dumped the body in the Hudson and eventually served two years for manslaughter. Burroughs and Kerouac were questioned as witnesses.
Solid dramatic material for a film, no doubt. But what to make of the cast? It’s Evans as Kerouac who’s puzzling me the most. (Though I’m not sure anyone can top David Cross’s Ginsberg dead-ringer from I’m Not There.) I’m all for giving actors a chance when they surprise us with bold choices that go against type, but wow… Evans, the guy best known as Johnny Storm — or to some, The Nanny Diaries‘ Harvard Hottie — incarnating one of the greatest writers of the 20th century? Yowza. But hey, maybe the dude’s about to show us he’s got some mad chops. What do you think? Can he do it?
To the magazine website with apparently no editors: check your headline.
Absolutely. He might be most well-known for his work in Fantastic Four and Nanny Diaries, but he has done some great films that aren’t as well known- London, Fierce People, and Sunshine to name a few. He has the acting chops.
Shouldn’t the heading read “Chris Evans as Jack Kerouac?”
He was actually quite good in Sunshine, so I think he could manage this!
Aw, now I wanna know what the headline used to say!
we’ll be seeing evans at the oscars next year
He is super hot. And I don’t think that many people are hot.
Let’s just say watch out, Evans is young, hungry and very talented…I feel confident he will surprise.
Bad choice. He’ a third rater
They needed someone with charisma like Rob Pattinson
Pattinson would have been a much better choice for Kerouac
Try not to be so narrow minded, you don’t become an Actor so you can only play a character actor, give him a chance, that’s all I am going to say.
I never berate an actor before I see them in a role. I’ll wait till after.
Looking much more forward to Paul Rudd and James Franco (As Ginsberg) in Howl.
This is like when they did 2 Capote movies. One will be great!
totally dig it: he’s physically perfect for the part, possesses that boston immigrant/all-american vibe, and will work the kerouac plain style.