Once Tim Burton is finished with Alice’s quest down the rabbit hole, he will be taking his Mad Hatter Johnny Depp, and his Sweeney Todd writer John August to the 60’s world of spooky soap opera’s, with the cult gothic horror Dark Shadows, the adaptation of the daily ABC serial that ran for five years, amassing 1,225 episodes.
Depp will play Barnabas Collins, the self-loathing and tortured vamp patriarch of the series who Depp idolised, and became obsessed with as a child. Yes girls, Johnny Depp as a vampire. Doesn’t that excite you?
Though it’s old news that all three men would be working together on this film (John August has been writing the screenplay for Depp and Burton for a good while now), it’s nice to finally have more confirmation that the movie will be Burton’s next after Wonderland. Or at least, “that’s the plan” as the official quotes cite him from the SDCC.
After the jump, more on Dark Shadows and how it fits in as a “Tim Burton” film…
All the staples of the Burton formula are here, as the show regularly featured werewolves, ghosts, zombies, man-made monsters and witches, and it’s use of atmosphere and outlandish characters was it’s hallmark. The show sounds like it very closely resembled the kind of mood of Sleepy Hollow, and no doubt Burton will find parts for Hammer horror vets Sir. Christopher Lee and Michael Gough. Oh, and his partner Helena Bonham Carter is sure to be in there too.
But this will likely be a Johnny Depp vehicle, of that we have no doubt.
Wiki describe Dark Shadows as thus;
Dark Shadows was distinguished by its vividly melodramatic performances, atmospheric interiors, memorable story lines and an unusually adventurous music score. Now regarded as somewhat of a camp classic, it continues to enjoy intense cult status among its followers.
Isn’t it interesting that this could account for any Tim Burton movie ever made. Change Dark Shadows to Batman, Batman Returns, Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Mars Attacks and Sweeney Todd and it all works…
Don’t really know the show but I’m on board for Depp/Burton/August… and this is EXACTLY the kind of material that I wanna see those three work from. Sure it’s like re-ordering the same meal from a restaurant but I’m the guy who never asked for his money back after Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow and Ed Wood… and actually, I was the one who came back for second and third helpings!!
5 Comments
I love Tim Burton. What ever happened to his “Lost in Oz” project? I would love to see that come to life. Did it morph into the “Tinman” series that aired on Sci-Fi Channel (or Syfy, or whatever it’s called now).
I AM A BIG BIG LOVER OF DARK SHADOWS WHEN IWA SA KID I WATCHED IT EVERYDAY AFTERSCHOOL ,,, AND I HAVE THE SERIES FROM THE RUNNING OF IT ON TV AT NIGHTTIME … IF THIS MOVIE IS COMING OUT I WILL DEFINITELY GO AND SEE IT …. DEE
you lack of knowledge on dark shadows shows. it was a soap opera with poor production values, terrible sets and over the top acting banging out 5 shows a week…but it was such a hit! everyone i knew rushed home from school to see it. we couldn’t get enough of barnabas collins and the beautiful victoria, the ever virginal governess. knowing the current project is in such masterful hands with depp and burton at the helm bodes well for that sweet old vampire we all admired so long ago.
Hope they use the original composer for the music with updated effects, not that the original music was bad!!!!
Passing, Boomer generation TV trendiness doesn’t
seem to play well in 2010 —as we face the Boomer
generation’s staggering legacy of 45 million
exterminations of the unborn ( -largely in the name
of ‘lifestyle and convenience’) -and a totally
bankrupt economy that’s now entirely underwritten
by the most awesomely genocidal regime in ALLL
human history —across the Pacific.
—Come on Tim! —back to the drawing board!
—for REAL! —-you can do it!