Wow, it's almost bedtime, but I see that there has been a very interesting discussion going on this afternoon and evening. Of course, I have to chime in!
I think that Nancy hits the nail on the head when she says that it's pretty typical for information dispersal about a film to be kept at a minimum while a project is still in development. This is not unique to Dark Shadows- we Depp fans go through the same frustration with every project
And the folks involved in developing a film are just not concerned with keeping the public informed about every step. Believe me, I would love to know every step as it's happening! But it just doesn't happen. Well, they don't know what I do in my job day to day, either!
As for Pierson, Kennedy, or DCP, all I can say is that in the past, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, separately or together, have both been very interested in staying as true as possible to the subject matter, and both are willing to do a lot of research. Even when there has been no formal obligation to the original source (Stephen Sondheim for Sweeney Todd, or the estates of J.M. Barrie for Finding Neverland or Roald Dahl for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... Tim wasn't involved in Finding Neverland but it was a similar situation for Johnny and the directors and producers of that film) they have been very interested in getting feedback and approval from these sources. I would guess that they'd consider someone like Pierson a gold mine. The only thing that's too bad is that they don't realize what expertise WE would be able to give them, too!
But I hope that they've gotten all the input they can from DS experts, because it will only help preserve the spirit of the show and its good name!
Cathy