One of my favorite films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was writer/director John Krokidas’ Kill Your Darlings.  The film focuses on the origins of the Beat movement and follows the friendships of Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston), and William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster) as they’re tested by the murder of David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall), a man in his thirties who is desperately in love with Ginsberg’s friend Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan).  For more on the movie, read Matt’s review here.

Near the end of the Festival, I landed an exclusive interview with  Krokidas.  We talked about premiering at Sundance, how tough it was to land financing, the years he spent developing the project, waiting for Daniel Radcliffe, casting the rest of the actors, how much changed during production, deleted scenes, how much did he “Hollywoodize,” future projects, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to our interview.

If poetry doesn’t broaden our view of our world and force us to push the boundaries of our lives, then it’s pointless.  Poetry cannot always tap into the chaos and beauty of life if it must be constrained by meter, verse, and rules set down centuries ago.  Poetry, when wielded by genius, can seduce, defend, condemn, and most importantly, transform.  Words are powerful enough to change the world, but even in the hands of the most gifted writers, they can be futile against our frailties, insecurities, and desires.  In his magnificent debut feature, director and co-writer John Krokidas has created a moving, exhilarating, and heartbreaking film in Kill Your Darlings.  Led by breathtaking performances by stars Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, and Ben Foster, Kill Your Darlings watches the greatest writers of a generation push the boundaries of modern American culture only to find that even the best words, the most well-spoken words, the most honest words, can fail when spoken to a shattered heart.

Two of the many films to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival were writer/director John Krokidas’ Kill Your Darlings and Jerusha Hess’ Austenland.  Kill Your Darlings focuses on the origins of the Beat movement and follows the friendships of Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston), and William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster) as they’re tested by the murder of David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall), a man in his thirties who is desperately in love with Ginsberg’s friend Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan).  Meanwhile, Austenland centers on a woman in her 30’s (Keri Russell) who is so obsessed with the Pride and Prejudice character Mr. Darcy that no real-life man can compare, and her love life pays the toll. She decides to spend her life savings on a trip to a Jane Austen-themed resort in England. The supporting cast includes Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Seymour, Rupert Vansittart and James Callis.

Shortly after seeing both films I recorded two video blogs with Peter from /Film.  Hit the jump for our thoughts.

The first official image from writer/director John Krokidas’ upcoming drama Kill Your Darlings has been released online.  The film focuses on the origins of the Beat movement and follows the friendships of Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston), and William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster) as they’re tested by the murder of David Kammerer, a man in his thirties who is desperately in love with Ginsberg’s friend Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan).  I’m fascinated to see how this story plays out on screen, and I look forward to catching the film when it premieres at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival.

Hit the jump to check out the image and full synopsis.  The film also stars Michael C. Hall and Elizabeth Olsen.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27.  

The John Krokidas project Kill Your Darlings continues to add quality cast members. The thriller, based on the lives of writers who sparked the Beat Revolution, already stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ben Foster, Elizabeth Olsen, Dane DeHaan and Jack Huston. Now, Kill Your Darlings has added Michael C. Hall, Kyra Sedgwick and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The film follows the friendships of Allen Ginsberg (Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Huston) and William S. Burroughs (Foster) and how their relationships are tested by the murder of Burroughs’ friend, David Kammerer. Hall is reportedly playing Kammerer. Production is scheduled to start March 19^th at Columbia University in New York. Hit the jump for more.

In what is shaping up to be an interesting cast full of young up-and-comers, Kill Your Darlings has now claimed Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) among its ranks. Alongside Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Dane DeHaan (In Treatment) and Jack Huston (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Olsen is set to play Edie Parker, the well-to-do, art-student girlfriend of Jack Kerouac (Huston). The thriller centers around a murder at Columbia University in 1944 that served as a formative experience for the young writers who would catalyze the Beat Revolution. Radcliffe will play Allen Ginsberg who befriends classmate Lucien Carr (DeHaan), whose murder of David Kammerer will be central to the story. When we first reported on this project,  Chris Evans (Captain America), Jessie Eisenberg (The Social Network) and Ben Whishaw (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) were cast as Kerouac, Ginsberg and Carr, respectively. I think this current lineup has a much better feel to it (although I’m unfamiliar with Whishaw). Hit the jump for more on Kill Your Darlings.

Daniel Radcliffe is in talks to play Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the thriller” Kill Your Darlings.  Radcliffe told the French press [via Twitch] that he would “very likely” be playing the literary figure for a film, which would be released in 2012.  Twitch did a little more digging and found that after Radcliffe finishes his Broadway run on How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, he’ll move on to play Ginsberg in Darlings.  Written and directed by John Krokidas, the movie revolves around the relationship between Ginsberg, influential authors Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, and the man who brought them together, Lucien Carr.  What makes the movie into a thriller is that Carr served time in 1944 for the murder of his lover, David Kammerer.

The project was first announced back in 2009 with Chris Evans, Jesse Eisenberg, and Ben Whishaw attached to play Kerouac, Ginsberg and Carr, respectively.  Obviously, Eisenberg is out, and it’s unknown if Evans and Whishaw are still on board.  Radcliffe will next be seen in the gothic thriller The Woman in Black.