One of cinema’s great cinematic pairings is Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, who as of their latest project, the highly anticipated adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, have worked together seven times. It’s a pairing that has worked very well every single time (as far as I’m concerned).
It’s no surprise then that the duo are continuing to work together, with a feature film adaptation of ABC’s 1960s gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows, being next on their slate. This project has been rumored for a very long time, with Depp finally coming on-board (along with his company) to produce in 2007 and Burton coming onboard as director in 2008.
Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory scribe, John August, wrote the Dark Shadows screenplay, and just this summer Depp confirmed it’s definitely happening and that he’d be starring in it, if and when the project gets off the ground.
Producer Graham King spoke to SciFiWire about Dark Shadows and said the project’s moving forward, and will be shooting in the Fall of next year. He confirmed that Depp will play the role of broody vampire Barnabas Collins (Depp has previously said it was a childhood obsession of his), so he’ll be giving the Twilight franchise’s Robert Pattinson a run for his money. Tweens will certainly have their loyalties tested on that one 😛 .
Johnny Depp as a vampire? That’ll work…
Even though Burton is currently in post-production on his Alice in Wonderland adaptation due out in March, 2010, Graham King is already prepping production on Dark Shadows alongside screenwriters so that it’s ready when Burton goes to shoot next Fall. The original screenplay was written by August, but some changes are being made:
“We’ve been working on the script a lot, even though he’s [Burton] working on Alice [in Wonderland]… We’ve been given a script. John August wrote the first screenplay. We’re making some changes, but the film’s going to be in production, as I say, September or October of next year.”
In case you’re not familiar with it (read: not old enough to remember it), Dark Shadows was an ABC gothic series that ran from 1966 to 1971 and was a show that featured vampires, witches, warlocks, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. The show became a success, particularly when the signature character of Barnabas Collins (played by Jonathan Frid in the show and set to be played Depp in the new version) was introduced about a year into its run. Like Alice in Wonderland, this is a pretty perfect matching to Burton’s style and the type of roles Depp plays.
The collaboration between Burton and Depp steam rolls on and it’s showing no signs of stopping. But as a fan of their work together, I wouldn’t want it to stop. Count me as very much looking forward to Dark Shadows.
How about you: are you looking forward to Burton and Depp’s next collaboration, Dark Shadows? Have you seen the original TV series? Do you think Depp will make a good vampire and give Twilight a run for its money?
As stated, Dark Shadows is set to start shooting in the Fall (September or October) of 2010. There’s no word on a release date as of yet.
Sources: SciFiWire (thanks to /Film)
