I wonder if anyone from the Depp/Burton team ever comes over to this forum to see what the fans think about re the new movie.

(Just in case.... )  Hi Johnny!!!     (Actually, it WOULD be a great way to research, wouldn't it?!)

Fun poll!!

01) BATMAN  I haven't seen it in a long time, but I remember loving it, and loving how it was so much darker than the campy TV series  (which I also loved, but in a different way).  I thought Jack Nicholson was brilliant.  I don't recall if I've seen Batman Returns or not-- I'm not a Burton expert but have some kind of recollection that he wasn't much involved in that one... I could be wrong, though. 

02) MARS ATTACKS  I've only seen this once, but I loved it- great fun!

03) SLEEPY HOLLOW  Love it!!  I don't consider it my favorite Depp/Burton collaboration, but only because Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd were even MORE awesome!  Coincidentally, I was just skimming through my Sleepy Hollow DVD last night.  Gotta watch this all the way through again soon!

04) PLANET OF THE APES  I've never seen this one, and from the way it's been described, I don't think I'd care for it.  Maybe I should give it a chance, though.

05) CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY  Loved it.  Now, I was probably the exact wrong age for the original Willy Wonka- just entering my pre-teens and at that age I didn't really want to be seeing "kiddy" movies.  Years later, realizing that our own Denise Nickerson was in it, I made a point that I would watch it someday, and I finally got the chance a few years ago (before the Depp/Burton movie came out)... and I hated it.  Maybe I had to be there at the time it came out.  When I heard Johnny and Tim were remaking it, it wasn't the happiest news I wanted to hear.  But I ended up loving it.  I do think it was truer to the book, except that the book didn't have the backstory with Willy's dentist father.  Johnny was deliciously twisted, and I loved Elfman's songs.  And the kids were all great.


As for what Tim and Johnny would do with DS, without having any real knowledge of how they'd approach it, I very seriously doubt it'd be a send-up.  I just don't think they'd want to make it campy or light, but rather focus on the dark, menacing vibe.  Remake or reimagining- I don't know which, or maybe it'll have elements of both. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

By the way, just in case anyone is interested, the original photo of Johnny is a well-known one by the great Annie Leibovitz- it was used for the cover of Vanity Fair, among others:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/MadScntst/photographers/leibovitz%20annie/covers/1997vanfairleib.jpg

The photo was taken in 1996, but darned if he has barely aged a day.  Maybe he really *is* a vampire 

I would be fine with some of the storyline taking place in the 2000's, but Lydia's time stops would work perfectly for me, too!

If Burton does direct, for what it's worth, he has for years made most if not all of his movies in a studio (Pinewood) in London.  To my knowledge, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd were all filmed there; I don't know about Big Fish.  However, the New England setting is so important for DS that I wonder if he would indeed shoot it on location or try to recreate it in a studio.  For what it's worth also, before Sweeney Todd, Burton was set to direct (and produce?) Jim Carrey in a film about Ripley's Believe It Or Not, which I think would've involved going on location, so at least Burton wouldn't necessarily ALWAYS film in a studio.  But then again, that film hasn't gotten made.  But anyway, it's just a thought that the studio seems to be Burton's preference these days...

Cathy

Thanks for the link to that blog, but I think this guy is ridiculous.   He obviously hates all of Burton's movies, and he has the right to that opinion.  But he's crazy if he thinks Johnny's career is being hampered by his association with Tim.  I guess Michael Mann didn't get the memo when he cast Johnny in Public Enemies, which I'm hoping is going to be a huge success!   As I've said, I initially had some reservations about Tim directing Dark Shadows, but only because I wasn't sure if he would give the right tone to the film.  I am somewhat more confident now after Sweeney Todd.  But in general, I can't see that the Depp-Burton collaborations have failed in any way!

What I find amusing is that the blogger points to all of Johnny's "mature" work and yet doesn't say a word about Captain Jack Sparrow 

Many thanks for the heads-up!  I'm going to do some shopping this weekend! 

Even though they deny that it's a given, I would expect Helena Bonham Carter to get a role, if Tim Burton is directing.  I don't know Juliet Landau, so I don't know how she would compare with Helena as Julia, but I can't think of another role that would suit Helena.  Of course, I could be wrong, and Tim might actually do a movie without her 

I don't know many child actors, either.  Doesn't Dakota Fanning have a younger sister?  The kid in Sweeney Todd, Ed Sanders, was quite good, but he seems to have grown about a foot and lowered his voice an octave or so since filming, so he might already be too old for David Collins. 

I've heard Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) mentioned for Carolyn- I could possibly see it, but wonder if they could get someone a little more flashy.

About Vicki's age, wasn't Joanna Going's version supposed to be 25?  I think that's a plausible age- someone who has been college educated and may even have a master's, but is still pretty young and fresh in the world.  Making her in her mid 20's would seem to open the door for more possibilities actress-wise, though I can't really think of anyone at the moment.

I agree with all you say, MB.  Things can go wrong at any time along the path of making a film.  That said, I feel very optimistic after hearing the tangible possibility of a director and screenwriter.  And Johnny is at a stage of his career right now where he has some amount of clout to get things accomplished.  Every tidbit is good news!  What I'm not so optimistic about is how *quickly* it may come about.  While they might surprise us by putting the film on the fast track (and hey, it happened with Sweeney Todd), I'm thinking a 3-5 year timeframe is not going to be out of the question.  So, if it does take some time to get to the actual filming, it doesn't necessarily mean we should lose hope!

I would also imagine that even if there are no official ties between what's left of DCP and the film, that Johnny and Tim (and August) would want to get input from that side if possible.  Stephen Sondheim had no official say in the Sweeney Todd film, but yet they *wanted* his input and approval; same was true with Roald Dahl's widow and family for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I wish I knew a way to get in touch with Johnny-- I'd volunteer to be a DS fan consultant