Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

[Uncle Roger]

You're more than welcome! Wouldn't it have made a great episode of I Love Lucy if Lucy and Ethel decided to crash the premiere? Picture Ethel trying to make friends with Alice's snake and Lucy somehow stumbling into the guillotine? Fred, of course, would be too busy trying to get Michelle Pfeiffer's attention to notice them. 

[Gerard]

I know it's upsetting to many DS fans that this movie is not a straight-forward horror picture and that the huge amounts of comedy are disturbing, as if Depp and Burton are making fun of the series which we - and they - have loved so much.  But, again, in my opinion, the straight-forward approach to the original story line has been done - pardon the pun - to death.  It worked in the original, despite the many inconsistencies as the storyline built, because it was the original.  It was fine in the HoDS approach, but it lacked (not because of the script - the PTB demanded cuts) character development and plot explanations.  It didn't work as well in the '91 remake because it was so much in-your-face and had even greater consistencies.  I don't know how it worked in the '04 attempted remake because, as I said before, I've never seen it.  It needs - pardon another pun - new life and new blood.  If that means diverting from the original intent, and tossing in more comedy (if it works, and from what I've seen, most of it does because it's logical in the storyline), then that's what it means.  Regarding the comedic aspects, it seems that it works far better here than was Dan Curtis tried in his '91 remake - making Willie Loomis a doofus, as opposed to the tormented soul portrayed by in the original, fell flat.  His "aw, shucks, Mr. Barnabas" approach was simply annoying.  Abbott and Costello did it better when they met Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman all in one movie.  I laugh during that one, and appreciate the retained horror, but not with the '91 DS version. 

I see so much of the original in the clips from this movie.  I see a re-working of the original (especially with Angelique becoming a composite of herself, Burk Devlin and a bit of Laura Collins) simply brilliant.  Having Elizabeth Collins Stoddard being more of "let's do what it takes to get them and make us rise again" character, rather than the equally fantastic "I've-got-a-secret-and-it's-destroying-me" character is also incredible.  "Younging" Carolyn Collins Stoddard by four years into a morose 15-year-old with a sassy mouth is wonderful, while the original 19-year-old "my-life-stinks" was a brilliant character portrayal.  It even seems to me that Vicki has been upgraded.  In the original, she devolved into such a whiney "I-don't-understand" person who lost her backbone that she became another annoyance.  In the '91 version, her characterization made her look just plain - again, in my opinion - dumber than the original, if that's possible.  In this one, despite from what we've seen as her dressed like a prim-and-proper Catholic school girl, she has a bit of a nerve.  And Julia, from both earlier visions, has gone all out from being a torn, fearful, angst-ridden person to a b*tchy, hootch-downing don't-snap-my-bra woman with a bit of vulnerability.

Of course, because I haven't seen the movie yet, I could be wrong on all counts.

It's all good.  But what was good before does not necessarily work anymore.  It's obvious that Depp and Burton wanted to enjoy making this film because they both love the series.  They also wanted to capitalize on the current vampire rage in the media (right up there with the zombie rage, and that's good - I love zombies; I'm a big fan of The Walking Dead).  But they didn't want to make another Twilight knock-off.  Twilight is now becoming old news - the latest film was seared.  Our series never should be.

Gerard

[borgosi]

All good points Gerard, I just don't believe you have to make Barnabas funny to make it fresh and new.

[Midnite]

At this past weekend's Chiller Theatre, Alice Cooper told one of my friends that he and his band were invited to play at the premiere.  Don't know fans will be able to get to any of this; security blocks the surrounding area off pretty early in the day.  But if Alice is playing, you should be able to hear him if you're in the vicinity.

Isn't it more likely that he'd play at the premiere after-party rather than at Grauman's?

[michael c]

nicely said gerard...

of course the dirty little secret that those hardcore "horror fans" don't want to admit is that 'dark shadows' was a soap opera.

to paraphrase someone at another board "general hospital with vampires and velvet drapes".

[michael c]

i'll also add that this isn't an "either/or" situation for me...

if another producer/director came along and reinterpreted this in a very dark and sinister way and it looked as well produced as this i'm sure i'd be very excited for that too.

i'm very open to variations on the theme. this just looks fun to me. that's why i've been defending it. not because i don't want or wouldn't welcome a much darker spin.

[Uncle Roger]

Isn't it more likely that he'd play at the premiere after-party rather than at Grauman's?

They've done some pretty odd stuff at Grauman's over the years but you may well be right on that, Midnite. I didn't speak to Cooper myself, so I may have misunderstood what was said.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

You lost me, Gerard, on much of what you said about the '91 DS (I really enjoyed the show's take on Willie, and I loved its take on Vicki - and I know I'm not alone in that, particularly when it comes to the latter, as numerous posts on the forum from many members will attest - though, of course, this is not a topic to discuss the '91 DS, so I won't any further), but again I totally support your overall theme.

Changing reels entirely, I'm really looking forward to Jonny Lee Miller on Jimmy Kimmel later on. As I mentioned back when he was cast, I love much of his work, and from what we've seen so far (which sadly hasn't been much so far as footage goes) it looks like he might really nail Roger in the film. So, I'm really curious to hear what he has to say about the film. And I'm even curiouser to see if they'll show a clip and what type of a clip it might be. Part of me would really like to see a clip from the scene we've only gotten glimpses of when Barnabas confronts Roger - but another part of me would rather wait to see that scene in the film. Though maybe they'll show the "balls" scene. I suppose we'll see...

10 days 2 hours 41 minutes 2 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[IluvBarnabas]

I realize many on here appreciate Jim Fyfe's comic interperation of Willie, and I certainly don't want to step on any toes, but I agree with Gerard...I did not appreciate Dan Curtis reducing the character of Willie from a complex, rough-around-the-edges type of character he was in the original show into a second rate Lou Costello that he was portayed as in the 91 revival. Maybe I wouldn't have minded so much if Willie hadn't been written as a total moron and had SOME smarts about him. I think DC could have found a way to make the 1991 Willie humorous without turning him into someone who made Spongebob Squarepants look like Albert Einstein. But again, this is just my opinion.

I don't know what to make of Jackie's Willie from the few clips I've seen with him in them. It appears that he might also have infused some humor into him, but how much or how little, I don't know yet and won't until the movie comes out. I might appreciate Jackie's style more than Fyfe's but that remains to be seen as of yet.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, it's been a very busy day DS-wise today.

Earlier I posted about the new spot that ran during DooL.

And I just discover that not only did Access Hollywood have a brief segment with Michelle Pfeiffer at CinemaCon regarding the award she was given which also included an even briefer glimpse of DS (the horses scene), but Extra did an entire interview segment with Pfeiffer which must have been held during the press junket that MsCriseyde alerted us to over the weekend because the set included both the film's main poster as well as a backdrop of the drawing room set. The segment also featured a few glimpses of scenes from the film and behind the scenes footage that we have not seen.

And if all that wasn't enough, tonight during Dancing With The Stars I managed to catch the spot I only got the end of on Saturday, and another new spot ran during The Voice, making it two new spots in the same day.

And I haven't even checked all the shows that I recorded tonight. Though I suspect that's probably all the new stuff for today. But I doubt any of us will complain. And, of course, tomorrow will technically kick off with Jonny Lee MIller's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel.

So, all in all I suspect we're in for several DS filled days over the next two weeks...

10 days 0 hours 32 minutes 0 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, we did get to see the clip I'd hoped we might - and thankfully it didn't go too far.

It would have been nice had there been more discussion about DS, but that's how things go. Though if they didn't have what certainly seemed like 1000 commercials before the show came back for his segment, maybe there would have been more time to discuss DS. Though I can't complain that one of those commercials was the latest TV spot.

9 days 22 hours 56 minutes 40 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Taeylor Collins]

I have to disagree with Gerard about 1991. I thought Victoria was smart. She was very plucky, seemed intuitive and she knew something was going on; however, I don't think she could put her finger on it.  Also in the past she saved the future and also figured out that the two Barnabas Collins she knew were immortals.  I saw no traits of original Victoria in her.  I loved Joanna Going. She is my favorite Victoria thus far.  Although, from what I have seen I loved Marley Shelton's Victoria as well. She was even more on top of things.

Cannot believe my dreams of seeing DS on the big screen (in my lifetime) are coming to life in ten days!  It's been a long road guys....but here were are!    I guess the OS viewers  felt this way when HODS was coming out.

Has anyone seen this??

http://perezhilton.com/2012-05-01-behind-the-scenes-footage-dark-shadows-tim-burton-johnny-depp#.T591rhdGyg4

[Cousin_Barnabas]

Taeylor, isn't that the same footage that you shared before - just all together?  I found it fascinating.  It was great getting to hear actual dialogue instead of the silly lines that appear in the commercials.  And while I appreciated it, it does provide some spoilers if one knows what he is looking for.  (And it does confirm to me that the recent reviewer had indeed seen the film.)  I really enjoyed it, though.     

[Miranda]

Jonny Lee Miller on Kimmel was a bust they did show a scene where Roger I guess was looking for liquor and Barnabas opens a cabinet for him and after a verbal altercation hoists him up under the chin--then there was some chat about Miller's three year old son, then all of a sudden Kimmel says the movie looks really funny,I think I heard some growns in the audience, then he asked Johnny Lee if he liked working with the other Johnny, he said of course, then Kimmel asked if Miller was familiar with the original series, he said no, but Burton had mentioned it to them while filming, then Kimmel said thanks for being here, and DS premieres may 11--not really worth staying up for, IMHO.....

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Actually, I do believe Roger was looking for a lot more than liquor.    But I won't spoil things for anyone else such as yourself who didn't figure it out...

And BTW, I just checked and there weren't any groans. 

9 days 18 hours 15 minutes 56 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!