Umm, I would *not* trust the twitters of Johnny's "children" even if they say "official" they are not verified.  Besides, Lily-Rose is spelling her name wrong

As for Christopher Lee, I remember Lee's son-in-law giving accurate information back in the days of Sweeney Todd.  He was legit.  Lee was set to be in the cast of Sweeney Todd, as a "ghost"- he and other "ghosts" would be doing some sort of narration including the Ballad Of Sweeney Todd.  But in the end, they decided not to go in that direction, and Lee and the others were regrettably cut from te film.  You can see an ad announcing the principal photography for ST that actually lists Lee in the cast, on my website here:

http://mysite.verizon.net/madscntst/GallerySweeney.html

and I mention a little about the incident on another page on my website, here:

http://mysite.verizon.net/madscntst/SweeneyArticles.html

(scroll almost to the bottom, under "Older information and tidbits")

I'm thrilled that Lee will participate in DS!!

Cathy

(I own The Libertine and Sweeny Todd, but I haven't watched either of them because I'm still waiting for friends to be available who want to watch them when I do...)

If you can deal with the gore as well as the music (which are not often found together in one movie at the same time!) then I really recommend Sweeney Todd- it is probably my favorite of Johnny's movies of the past 5-8 years.  But not a lot of people who like musicals like horror, or vice versa.  I just happen to like both!  As for The Libertine, the acting is astonishing, but be prepared for a noble effort that doesn't really quite succeed.  Oh, that reminds me of something I was going to say earlier regarding Alice Cooper.  It might be that he's being listed as "rumored" for now, despite Alice himself confirming the role, just to be cautious.  Rocker Shane MacGowan filmed a part for The Libertine and was going around telling everyone he was going to be in the film, and then the poor guy ended up on the cutting room floor. (You can see a couple of brief shots of Shane on set on the Libertine DVD extras, but he didn't make the film).  Not to say that this will happen with Alice, but I'm just saying it's possible they're just waiting for more confirmation.

Cathy

I finished watching it last night and one of the interesting things director David Koepp had to say was that, because Columbia was all too aware of Depp's huge teenage fanbase, he was contractually obligated by Columbia to make a PG-13 film (though he would have preferred to have been able to make an R film). I wonder if there's any such obligation between Burton and Warner Brothers or if Burton has been given free rein to make DS as bloody/gory/violent as he wants? Though in a way I almost hope DS does turn out to be PG-13, if just for the fact that PG-13 films tend to make more money.    And I could be wrong, but I don't think Depp has made many R rated films. (Certainly From Hell comes to mind - but that was hardly a movie that was made for teenagers.) But madscntst would be much more knowledgeable on that subject than I am.  

My ears must've been burning, because I just checked the forum before lunch, but had another minute free and just checked again, and saw several new posts  

Koepp's remark is interesting, and I had completely forgotten he said that (I'm sure I must've heard it because I do have the Secret Window DVD and remember watching the commentaries and extras).  Anyway, the DS rating is one of the things I'm most intrigued to find out.  I can really see it going either way (PG-13 or R; let's assume that PG is out of the realm of possibilities).  As you say, MB, PG-13 films tend to make more money, especially if they are targeted toward a young/teen audience.  However, for DS, I'm not sure of this.  Part of me wants the DS audience to be something other than the Twilight demographic, but another part of me wishes they could see it just so that they can see a real vampire film in comparison    And in general, I'd like for more people to be able to see it, and not everyone likes films that have a lot of graphic content.

But another part of me would like for them not to worry about what they have to do to keep the rating to PG-13- I'd rather let them have the leeway they want to make the film they want, regardless of the rating.  As an example, Tim Burton said early on in the Sweeney Todd production that he was very much aiming for an R rating, and promised that there wouldn't be any skimping on the blood.  And there wasn't!  I remember seeing one review of the film that was titled "There Will Be Blood" and the subtitle said something like "and we're not talking about the Daniel Day-Lewis film!"  But I think that they approached Sweeney Todd from the beginning as a film that was never going to have universal appeal- it is a musical about a serial killer and cannibalism, and it was always going to be a bit of a hard sell!  They might well want DS to appeal to a wider audience.  Anyway, I don't have any doubt that Tim and/or Johnny would be okay with making DS an R rated film, but the question is, is that the film that they *do* want to make?

In answer to your other question, Johnny has made many R rated films.  The Libertine was one that people thought/feared might even get the dreaded NC-17 rating, and while in the end it really doesn't seem NC-17-ish to me, it's still a pretty hard R.  Besides Sweeney Todd and From Hell, Blow, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, The Ninth Gate, Sleepy Hollow, Public Enemies and maybe even Ed Wood come to mind as rated R, and I'm pretty sure The Rum Diary will be R (I'm not sure if it's gotten its rating yet).  

Cathy

I just took that remark as being the first photos from the film, which they pretty much are, not that they were the first to have them.  Your mileage may vary...

I don't know if any here have seen the TV movie Grey Gardens, with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, but I'm getting that same kind of vibe here, that they are recluses living in a house that has become more and more decrepit due to lack of upkeep.  I'm kind of sad thinking about it, actually   

Cathy

KatiePennick
At @PinewoodStudios, I just accidentally parked in Jonny Depps parking space. My bad

For some reason, this just cracked me up.  I can just envision it: "Hey, that's my spot!"  "Ya snooze, ya lose!"

Anyway, here is another article intimating that Alice will be in the film:

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/06/28/caught-social-%E2%80%98johnny-d%E2%80%99-gets-a-job-offer/

Somewhere I read that Alice, Tim and Johnny were all having dinner together the night before the show, when Alice invited Johnny to play.  I can't seem to locate that exact one, but here is a little brief snippet of Alice himself recalling the invitation:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13942350

Announced on Facebook: Jonathan Frid is flying to London next week to film his cameo for the film.

AWEsome- since they mentioned that Alice might have a cameo I've been thinking that if he gets one, Frid (not to mention several other DS original cast stars) should also get cameos.  I wonder who he will be?  (I'm putting my money on "Eagle Hill Cemetery Caretaker").  I'm firewalled from FB here at work but look forward to checking it out when I get home!

Okay, so maybe this isn't about the movie per se, but please forgive me because Johnny is in the movie and Alice Cooper's music is reportedly being featured in the movie.  So Johnny is apparently playing tonight with Alice in London!  And for me, the only thing better than a pointy-fanged Johnny is a guitar-playing Johnny!

RealAliceCooper Alice Cooper
Johnny Depp!! Waiting to jump on stage with Alice for 18 and Schools Out! http://fb.me/12fFO8XqS
2 hours ago

LOL, I would hope that Alice is fine with this- they would probably need to get his permission anyway.  I've never been a huge Alice fan, but I saw him on CNN a few weeks ago and he is *such* a cool guy- well spoken, great attitude, funny, and smart.  I'd like to think he's a DS fan!  (They should give him a cameo, in makeup, lol!)