OK, even though I don't like doing this, considering that it's probably blacked out for the majority of people, here's the complete text of Variety's article (at least I can tell myself that the link to the article is posted in reply #1746):
Posted: Wed., Feb. 2, 2011, 2:24pm PT
'Dark Shadows' ready for the light
Burton-directed pic stars Depp; newcomer Heathcote in talks
By Justin Kroll
After years of trying to get "Dark Shadows" off the ground, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton may have a sign that their passion project is finally ready for production.
Bella Heathcote, the young, up-and-coming actress starring next year in David Chase's first post-"Sopranos" feature film "Twylight Zones," is in early talks for the female lead opposite Depp in the supernatural Warner Bros. pic.
"Dark Shadows" is based on the 1960s supernatural TV soap opera that followed the life of vampire Barnabas Collins, to be played by Depp. He's forced to deal with all sorts of monsters, ghosts and other supernatural creatures. Heathcote would play a waitress whom Collins takes a shine to because of her resemblance to his long-lost love.
Seth Grahame-Smith has penned the script, and Depp, Graham King, Richard Zanuck, Christi Dembrowski and David Kennedy are producing. Production starts this spring with a release date set for sometime in 2012.
Warner Bros. acquired the rights from show creator Dan Curtis in 2007 and has been trying to get a movie going in the years since.
Depp signed on early, but the writers strike derailed the project. Once it was resolved, Burton came on to direct and brought on John August to pen a first draft.
But August fell out, Burton and Depp's busy schedules got in the way and the project continued to be pushed back. Then, last summer, "Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" author Smith was brought aboard in July to rewrite the script.
If Heathcote gets locked in soon, a greenlight should follow, making a spring production start realistic.
Though Heathcote is a fresh face to American auds, the Australian thesp's career is clearly taking off. Besides Chase's "Twylight Zones," she's also been cast opposite Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake in "Now."
A greenlit "Dark Shadows" has the potential to solve another problem for Warner Bros.: the need for a franchise to replace the waning "Harry Potter" series. Though "Green Lantern," "Superman" and any number of DC Comics-centered pics are on the way, the studio is light on fantasy projects along the lines of "Dark Shadows" that can also appeal to female auds.
Though Burton and Depp haven't talked of franchising "Dark Shadows," there's a trove of material for them to work with should it fare as well as their past collaborations such as "Alice in Wonderland" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Besides her upcoming slate, Heathcote was most recently seen in the indie "Beneath Hill 60."
She is repped by WME and Jackson-Medavoy Entertainment.
Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.comInterestingly, I see where the articles has since been rewritten a bit, with a few minor things added (the year 2007 added in reference to when the rights to DS were acquired) and a few other things dropped (the references to AiW and CatCF), so what I've posted is a combination of both versions. However, both versions say that Heathcote would play a waitress - that hasn't changed.
A photo of Heathcote has also been added...