I see where the Tim Burton produced
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, based on Seth Grahame-Smith's book with screenplay by him, has been set for release by FOX on June 22, 2012 (
Actors Testing For Abe in 'Vampire Hunter'). I'm not quite sure if that's good, bad or completely inconsequential news - especially because we have no idea when Warner Bros. plans to release the Depp/DS film (or even if they've even settled on a release date yet). If the film comes out after the Depp/DS film, then it's certainly completely inconsequential news. But if it comes out first, it could have a bearing on how audiences/critics view the Depp/DS film, particularly if AL:VH doesn't turn out so well and/or doesn't do well at the boxoffice. Going in there could be an unfair attitude that, because Burton/Grahame-Smith's first collaboration turned out badly, the Depp/DS film could easily turn out to be bad as well. But even if AL:VH does turn out well and rakes in a boatload of money at the boxoffice, that can be a double-edged sword because then, and even though the Depp/DS film is bound to be a very different take on the vampire genre from what AL:VH will be doing, audiences/critics are bound to compare the two - and it's that sort of comparison that could easily affect the Depp/DS film's reception/boxoffice.
It would be nice to believe that each film, regardless of which comes out first, will be judged completely independently of the other. But it's much more often the case that films are often judged and weighed against the previous efforts of those involved. And considering that AL:VH and the Depp/DS film will no doubt have similarities even beyond dealing with the subject of vampires and that Burton and Grahame-Smith are involved in some way with both, comparison is not only likely, it's inevitable. So, it's going to be fascinating to see how things play out. The best case scenario would be that if AL:VH comes out first, it becomes such a big hit that people who might not have otherwise will anticipate and embrace the Depp/DS film in ways that will turn out to make it one of the biggest hits of the year, eclipsing AL:VH.
![[b003]](http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/Smileys/classic/b003.gif "Wink/Smile")
Changing reels, you'll note that the linked article says that AL:VH has been focused on casting since November. However so far as I've noticed there hasn't been any sort of casting news released. And that just goes to show that a similar situation can easily be going on with the Depp/DS film. It's quite possible that it's been screen testing/casting for months already. Just because we haven't heard any confirmed info, it doesn't necessarily mean that some if not many of the roles haven't already been cast...
(And I must say I'm fascinated by some of the actors who are screen testing for Abe. I wouldn't have pictured any of them in the film. But if I'm to go by the caliber of actors being considered, apparently the film will be different from what I might have imagined. And at least that's a good thing from the perspective of what Seth Grahame-Smith's screenplay writing may be like...)
Topic: It's official: Dark Shadows returns as a film with Johnny Depp (Read 454426 times)