Again, there are always a lot of rumors about Johnny appearing in upcoming movies, and only a small fraction will really come true.  Of current rumors, my odds for whether they'll happen, at least any time soon (these are only my own feelings and not based on any inside knowledge}:

-Mad Hatter/Alice In Wonderland: 90%.  The rumors have been strong even before the recent press; I just have a feeling about this one.  But I think this would only be a small role.
-Lindsay/Shantaram: 75%.  Someone who claims to be involved in this production has posted to IMDb that Johnny still intends to star in the film.  The previous comments by the Infinitum Nihil representative were misquoted or taken out of context.  That said, there's still been no news on this film in awhile, but it WAS going to be his next project.
-Barnabas/Dark Shadows: 70%.  This is a solid project; it's just a matter of when it might happen.
-Toby/The Man Who Killed Don Quixote: 15%. Terry Gilliam is being optimisitc to think he can get this film together any time soon.  Could happen, though.
-Paul Kemp/Rum Diary: 10%.  Johnny wants to do this, but I think the film is jinxed, and nearly everyone thinks he's getting too old to play the character
-Riddler/Batman sequel: 5%.  Not impossible but I think this one was just made up
-Tommy Lee/Tommy Lee biopic: 0%.  Tommy Lee's wishful thinking.  No way would this ever happen.

Johnny is not filming now and he has no films coming out this whole year.  He is publicity shy as it is, so there aren't likely to be any major interviews until next year, when The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Public Enemies come out.  So, chances that anyone will be able to quote him about Dark Shadows are pretty sliim right now, unless we're lucky.  Tim Burton might be more likely to speak about DS if he gets interviewed about Alice.  Remember that regardless of Johnny's itinerary, if Burton is really going to direct, his schedule is going to have to be free, too.  And directors often need a larger chunk of time than actors (if they're involved in editing and other post-production).

'Course, it'd be great if the studios or Johnny's publicist could just throw us a bone 

Cathy

Apparently his appeal is not only with adults but teen and tween girls

Now, that's an understatement!     Yes, there are LOTS of teens/tweens on the Depp message boards, and many of them convinced their parents to take them to Sweeney Todd.  If the families were into Sondheim/musicals, it was a pretty easy sell.  Realize also that even if they couldn't see the movie, they could've voted for Johnny anyway.

About The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Gilliam does seem pretty sure about filming starting before summer.  But bear in mind that he's been trying to get this movie restarted for 8 years.  He *always* sounds confident that it's about to start filming.  In fact, he blamed the Pirates sequels for taking Johnny's time away from filming Quixote; never mind that he didn't yet have the rights back to make the film.  The latest article also implies that Gilliam intends to rewrite the script, but doesn't make it sound like that's completed yet.  All to say, the man tends to blow hot air sometimes.  That said, Johnny is on record as saying "I'm in, as soon as Terry says the word."

My interpretation is that the Infinitum Nihil representative was clear when he said that Johnny would only be doing Rex Mundi for them. Again that is just how I interpreted his words.

That's how I interpreted his words, too!  It's just that before this, to my knowledge there hasn't even been an inkling that he might not star in Shantaram, so I am still wondering if somehow I'm understanding the IN guy wrong (or if his words might've been transcribed wrong).  I guess we'll find out sooner or later!

As to the dig at the DS production values, I didn't interpret that in a mean-spirited way- he almost seemed to be saying that the boom mics in the shot and the wobbly sets (maybe he saw some of those scenes with the tombstones shaking back and forth  ) were part of the show's charm.  And heck, this is a lot of why *we* like the show too- I love the bloopers tapes and all the fun stories from the cast!  Still, it might've been nice if he'd also added something about the tight schedule and tighter budget, and what they were able to accomplish with what they had.  But oh well, it was only a small part of the interview so I guess they can't talk about everything!

As to JP, well, I have been out of the loop in recent years but remember the guy from the 90's and the 2 fests I attended back then.  Sounds like the same ol' fellow 


Cathy

MB was stating the ages as they were specified in a manuscript written before the show actually started-- a.k.a. Shadows on the Wall - The DS Bible .
Once the show actually took form certain facts were altered.

Carolyn's age fluctuates back and forth depending on the storyline. But believe it or not, it's most often established throughout the various storylines that she was 17 when DS began - flashbacks featuring Paul Stoddard and the Leviathans notwithstanding. 

Ah, thanks for the clarifications!

Forgot to ask, did Pierson happen to mention what his role is (if any) in this film? 

Can I play Willie in Depp Shadows?
I want to be Johnny's slave,
sigh.........

Sounds good to me- can I get in line, too?? 


The t-shirts sound great, too... nobody knows how to contact the vendor, do they?

Cathy

As usual I'm behind on checking my e-mail, so I just came across this mention of the DS Fest in Saturday's LA Times: (URL)
. However, who knew this was Frid's "first convention appearance"? Or that this year "will be special, as DS devotees will get to to see ... actor Johnny Depp, a long-time fan of the show, who will portray the undead Barnabas in an upcoming film"? I'm guessing the fans who witnessed the latter simply passed out on the spot and have yet to revive, and that's the reason why no one has mentioned it yet.

Although, maybe the LA Times writer simply saw the Fest flyer that could have easily been construed to imply Depp would be a part of the movie panel, and that's where she got that idea. But who knows where she got the idea this was going to be Frid's first Fest? 

MB, the Depp fans found this article on Sat., and they got really excited about the prospect of Johnny appearing at the Fest.  I had to calm them down on the board I participate in, and express my skepticism. I pointed out that the part about "a discussion about the film with Johnny Depp" probably meant that Johnny would be in the film, not the discussion!  Don't get me wrong, I wish that Johnny could've been there!  But I knew that he wasn't expected.  I also saw the huge goof about Frid, and felt that this particular reporter didn't do very thorough research 

By the way, I'd like to thank all the kind folks who gave feedback and reports about the Fest- keep 'em coming!  I haven't been to one in 11 years, but hope to make it back to one someday!

Cathy