It's official: Dark Shadows returns as a film with Johnny Depp

[PennyDreadful]

 Aw, thank you Gothick.  

 And I didn't even have to pay him to say that (this time).  Hee hee.

 ~Penny~

Mistress Penny, I really wish Tim Burton would hire you as a Creative Consultant on the DS movie set.

Although then we might really get a look at Helena Bonham Carter's claws and fangs... given how superior your own womanly attributes are in every department...

[Taeylor Collins]

I still hope HBC sticks to her original statement about not being in the movie.  However, I am sure she would be on the set visiting so you could see the claws then.  I love her and she a great actress just tired of her in all of her husbands movies.

[Mary]

Know what I mean?

I see what you're saying, Penny, I'm just saying that, using American Werewolf in London as an example, I think humor and horror both in one film could work.  I wouldn't expect the humor in the DS movie to be exactly the same type as in AWIL, though.  The Karl Collins scene is a better example from DS itself of humor that worked very well.

[jimbo]

John August tweeted several hours ago that he suspects he will be in London a lot this year; probably for Frankenweenie and hopefully Dark Shadows; a filmaker on Twitter several days ago indicated that Frankenweenie is nearing production as its sets are built and its characters sculpted; and Variety confirmed today that Pirates 4 will be starting production this month. So since all we have are tea leaves, perhaps DS can begin to film later this year if all goes well. And we can assume that several websites such as this one indicating that Sigourney Weaver is in the DS movie is just an unreported rumor. http://www.answers.com/topic/sigourney-weaver

[Mysterious Benefactor]

We should only be so lucky that Sigourney Weaver might be in the film. Though as we know only too well, rumors such as this often have no validity whatsoever yet they still get picked up and are still reported as fact by way too many sites.    But on the other hand, I still suspect that there will be confirmed info announced at the Fest - and that's only a little over a month away. And as I alluded the other day, in this day and age it would be nothing short of amazing if absolutely none of the info that might be announced at the Fest doesn't find its way onto the Internet beforehand...

[jimbo]

Yes MB Sigourney Weaver is certainly a big time actress. I don't understand why people would intentionally report false information to these allegedly informative websites. I believe all of the limited information that was released on the internet have come from the other DS producers and other sources and then subsequently released via Shadowgram although I could be wrong. We all understand that Shadowgram gets its information after its is vetted by DCP hence the delay. So I find it unlikely that we will learn first hand any new developments at the Fest. There is so much competition to be the first to report the news that any new developments will most likely be released prior to the Fest as you suggested as a possibility. Personally I would like to be surprised and hear the movie's developments at the Fest. Time will tell.

[jimbo]

More questions raised in this article about the status of the DS movie.

http://www.heatvisionblog.com/2010/06/john-august-reteaming-with-tim-burton-exclusive.html

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Hmmm - there's no deal with Burton, there isn't even a producer, and isn't Depp supposed to begin shooting Pirates 4 like next week (so it hardly seems likely that shoot is going to be delayed at this late date). So, it seems like all The Hollywood Reporter has is a lot of speculation at this point. Not that that ever stops some writers from spinning their own scenarios.  

Not that everything couldn't come together for Monsterpocalypse similar to what the writer lays out - but at this point it seems like there's way too much up in the air to assume it's all going to come together before DS shoots...

[jimbo]

There were a ton of articles out today on the net about the DS movie although most of them speculate that the movie will be delayed. As you said MB all speculation.

John August wrote a piece today indicating why some projects are announced, some not and the advantages and disadvantages of both.

http://johnaugust.com/archives/2010/monsterpocalypse-announced#comments

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, as we know only too well, sites take these speculative articles and report them as fact, completely ignoring that they're only speculation. Though there is one part of the article that I suspect could definitely be fact and that's the part about how Warner Brothers wouldn't be happy if Burton picked up another project and they would push to get the Depp/DS film made first. WB may have no say in whether or not Burton could make a deal with DreamWorks with the DS film pending - but I strongly suspect they would be royally pissed if he does and then decides to do Monsterpocalypse instead. After all, WB stood by and patiently waited for Burton to become available while he worked on Alice In Wonderland because they really want him for the DS film. If DW is equally adamant to have Burton, let them get in line behind WB.

The only way I can see for DW to get Burton first is IF Depp decides he's too exhausted after the Pirates 4 shoot to do DS justice and he needs some time off beforehand. Only a situation like that wouldn't make WB want to tar and feather Burton.    I'm sure they wouldn't be happy, but I think they'd be willing to accept it...

[jimbo]

John August in the article I linked above stated that Monsterpocalypse will take him off the market for over a year and it is the fastest movie development project he has ever been involved with. John also said that it will effect other tentpole movies at other studios. The bottom line to me is that this DS movie is Depp's baby. I would find it hard to believe that Burton will delay DS to the extent that it may never get made. Now that would be cruel to Depp and WB who as you said WB has been patiently waiting for TB. I just hope that justice is served and that DS films before Pirates 4. Let Disney wait. I don't know how these big studio power plays work but there is a lot at stake for us. Hopefully TB and JD will agree to film DS very soon. The only thing we know for sure is that the Tourist has completed its filming. Now the fun begins.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I found August's remark that Monsterpocalypse has been the fastest a movie has come together in his career to be a bit puzzling. He says he hasn't even begun working on the script yet, and as I laid out last night, The Hollywood Reporter says there's no director and there's no producer. If all that really is the case, then obviously many elements still need to come together.

Maybe he simply means Monsterpocalypse is the fastest a movie he's worked on has ever been put into development because it certainly hasn't come together to anywhere near a point where it's ready to go into any state of production...

That all being said, what I particularly liked about the article was August's remarks about how keeping details about a movie under the radar helps to avoid media and/or fan speculation, helps to manage public perception, and helps to cut down on having to constantly battle expectations and fabrications. Not that we ever see any of that. And certainly never on the Internet. No - never.    ... Yeah, right!!  

[jimbo]

It seems one of the DS production companies on June 16, 2010 informed www.myentertainmentworld.com that the movie has in fact been officially delayed as the listing has changed from September, 2010 to TBA. Based on this I am expecting to hear a big fat zero at the Fest about the movie's developments since it appears there aren't any. I am sure we will be hearing the same stuff about how they are still working on the script and how they are waiting on Tim Burton and/or Johnny Depp or whatever. I hope I am wrong.


"DARK SHADOWS - (Date - TBA) - Details Are only Available By Subscription.. STORY: The film is about Barnabas Collins, a vampire who lives in an isolated manor house in the sleepy seaboard town of Collinsport, Maine. (Posted: March 16, 2010. Revised: June 16, 2010)"

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The IMDb still lists it as 2011. But as we know that doesn't necessarily mean much because we have no idea who's actually handling that listing.

I was disappointed to see that when the tentative Fest schedule came out, there wasn't anything specific to the film - just something generically titled "Dark Shadows In The 2000s". But I'm still trying to remain hopeful that there will be some sort of new info revealed at the Fest. It may indeed be that the film has been delayed yet again - but if so, hopefully specific and not vague reasons will be given...

[jimbo]

MB it is true what you said about IMDb and its accuracy. What is disappointing is that the production company who reported the movie's status shooting date change does not even know when it may be filmed. I would have even settled for something like Spring, 2011. I don't think that this is a very good sign at all. The DS movie is no longer a hot movie to be made and it lost a great deal of momentum IMO and TB may be more excited about his other projects and may now even believe that filming a two hour DS movie is not possible. If there has been a delay I don't expect JP to admit to that. I expect a lot of spinning. What JP should tell us is simply the truth regarding if the movie has absolutely no projected start date. I am not surprised now that there is no DS movie panel at this year's Fest.