It's official: Dark Shadows returns as a film with Johnny Depp

[jimbo]

There is no reason for him to withhold specific information if he knows any.

I thought your previous position is is that TB is under no obligation to tell us anything even if he knew something about the project's latest developments? Which is it?
Jimbo

[jimbo]

It seems that Dark Shadows is not Tim Burton's next project as he previously claimed it was going to be. And Pirates 4 will be filming in April or May for a summer 2011 release as per the studio.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/d23exponews.php?id=59034

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Following Alice in Wonderland with Frankenweenie was the originally announced plan back in '07, but Burton changed his mind when it was expected that the DS film would begin production in late summer of this year. But that's not the case due to how long AiW's postproduction is taking, and since Depp won't be available due to Pirates 4 going into production in April, I guess he went back to the original plan. And that seems like a logical thing to do considering that he's utilizing some stop motion animation in AiW, so he's already got the needed hardware/software in place for Frankenweenie.

If one thinks about it, it's really no different than what we've been anticipating for a while now because we've pretty much known that the DS film wasn't going to go into production until after Pirates 4. And rather than waiting to do Frankenweenie until after DS, Burton probably feels it's better to do it while he has things in place and presumably the time to fit it in while Depp is elsewise occupied.

[jimbo]

I agree and I also had a feeling Burton was going to work on Frankenweenie when Depp was filming Pirates 4. I have to give Disney a lot of credit for pushing hard on getting Pirates into production. On the other hand Warner Bros. knew that DS was a long way off probably now until 2013.

So when exactly is Tim Burton going to start thinking about Dark Shadows? When he is filming Frankenweenie he is just going to say the same thing he has been saying during the Alice shoot-that he can't think about DS until Frankenweenie is completed and so forth. What a joke.

[jimbo]

Universal is cutting back on financing films in development. Is Warner Bros. next? Hope the Dark Shadows movie (if it ever happens) is not impacted as well by the economic times. This is what happens when a studio sits on its ass and does nothing to get a movie out of developmental hell unlike how Disney pulled Pirates 4 out of developmental hell and is making the movie ahead of Dark Shadows , a movie that has been in development long before Pirates 4. If DS films in 2010 the movie should be ok I hope.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118008817.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

[Mysterious Benefactor]

At least the Depp/DS film has a really good reason why it hasn't been produced yet: Tim Burton is just too busy to get to it. Most movies that languish in development hell usually do so because there are huge problems with them that prevent production. But as far as we know, everyone seems to like how the DS script has been coming along - and WB is happy to have Depp and Burton on board.

[jimbo]

My point was that for example Warner Bros could have insisted a different director be hired to replace Burton. They could have pushed that issue to get the movie going especially if they are financing it. Depp has worked with other directors so it is possible Depp would have gone along with the change. Disney on the other hand was very aggressive in hiring a director, developing the script, obtained name of title and release date, had Depp promote it etc...years after the DS movie was announced. Who do you mean as "everyone" appears to be happy how the DS script is coming along and that WB is happy to have Depp and Burton on board? Hearing about this is a first for me. I have not heard or read anything from WB so I don't know how they feel. In fact they don't consider the DS movie as one of its tentpoles going through 2013. I don't believe JP spinning does it for me if that is what you based your post on. It would actually be great if WB came out with a statement like that.

[Nancy]

Oh I really doubt this, Jimbo.  The two men are friends, not just professional colleagues and they have talked about doing this film for many years.  There isn't any reason to not wait for Burton that I can see.

nancy

My point was that for example Warner Bros could have insisted a different director be hired to replace Burton. They could have pushed that issue to get the movie going especially if they are financing it. Depp has worked with other directors so it is possible Depp would have gone along with the change.

[jimbo]

Oh I was just trying to take WB's perspective on what they could have done to move this project along and this is one of the ideas I thought of. Unlike Disney, Warner Bros. is content to have this project remain in developmental hell. We really don't know if the script is coming along nicely do we?

[Nancy]

Oh I was just trying to take WB's perspective on what they could have done to move this project along and this is one of the ideas I thought of. Unlike Disney, Warner Bros. is content to have this project remain in developmental hell. We really don't know if the script is coming along nicely do we?

No we don't know but then there isn't any critical reason for the project "schedule" to be ramped up if Burton and Depp aren't ready yet to start filming.  When they get to it, they get to it.  Can't wait to see the end product.

[madscntst]

I haven't even wanted to participate on this thread for months now, because I am weary of the fingerpointing at Tim and WB over a film that IMHO is FAR from being in "developmental hell", or assumptions that it's being shown a lack of interest just because the filming may be delayed by a year.  The current version of the script only just got handed in recently, from what I gathered from John August's feedback.  Johnny himself said in June that the film was "very, very close" as opposed to saying "it's ready"  Many other aspects of getting the film started will have to be put in motion.  If they originally wanted to film this fall, and if they did send out feelers to that trade publication you found, jimbo, and the film didn't get going this fall after all, it simply shows that they weren't totally ready yet, as Nancy also said.  A LOT of films are being set back because of the current economy, and I'm sure that I brought this up several times, too.  The fact that DS is still even on the horizon despite that is a GOOD thing. 

About Pirates 4, I do hear you, and I would MUCH rather have had Johnny do DS before Pirates.  But you are comparing Jerry Bruckheimer-- arguably one of the biggest sharks in the business, a behemoth like Disney, and a history of the first 3 Pirates films making something like 3 billion dollars worldwide, with Johnny's own production company and what will most probably be a MUCH smaller budget for DS (even if they will be curtailing the budget for Pirates 4).  Johnny and Tim have a lot of respect, but I wouldn't say they have anywhere close to the power of Bruckheimer.  Bruckheimer probably pushed like the devil, and it so happened that Pirates 4 got put in place first.  I just don't see how this is at all indicative of WB or Johnny or Tim "not caring" about DS. 

If Tim's schedule was too much of a problem, and they had to get another director, I seriously doubt that it would speed things up.  Very likely, it would slow things down even more.  I doubt there many top quality directors just sitting around waiting for a project to come along.  When DS was first announced, I thought of Guillermo del Toro for the director, but he's going to be tied up for awhile with some hobbit film   Johnny had a project called Shantaram in the works for several years, and the fact that they had to change directors (from Peter Weir to Mira Nair) pushed the project back for a year.  Other events happened after that, and the project is currently in limbo, but I'm just saying that changing directors did push back the plans they had at the time.

I know that I've said all of these things many times before, so I apologize for continuing to repeat myself.

Cathy

[Mysterious Benefactor]

There's no need for you to apologize.  


And as for how to tell that everyone seems happy without actual reports that say that in as many words, well, we have other evidence of it so as to be able to surmise it. We know that August has had meetings with both Depp and Burton over the script, and we've also read/seen remarks that progress on the film is moving along well. And as madscntst reminded, Depp himself has even said that things are very close. And if WB wasn't happy to have Burton on board, they'd be pushing for another director. The fact that they aren't in and of itself says quite a bit. In fact, it says that everyone involved is willing to wait for Burton rather than hire another director because clearly Burton is the one and only director they want.  

[jimbo]

Madscntst I enjoyed reading your take on how Pirates 4 will be filming before the DS movie. Interesting stuff about the power and influence Bruckheimer has in the industry. I think Matt Goldberg of Collider.com website said it best on 09-11-09 about Disney being aggressive on Pirates 4, "I know it’s a minor thing but adding a release date and a subtitle to a fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie along with a Summer 2011 release date makes it feel like the film is really happening and it’s not just on Walt Disney’s wish list.  Real details like plot, screenwriters, director, casting, etc. are all in the future but Disney doesn’t want this project in development hell.  It wants people to know that the fourth movie is called “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and that folks should prepare to set sail in Summer 2011". It would be nice if Warner Bros. made a general statement that they still have a DS movie in development and that it will happen. No WB executive has acknowledged the existence of the DS project to date.

I am not sure if I agree with your position that the DS movie would be substantially delayed if they decided TB was not the answer. I am sure there are qualified directors out there who would be interested in filming a Johnny Depp movie. If I am not mistaken it only took Disney a month to find its current director. But I guess this director discussion is moot because it is clear that Johnny is not going to proceed without Tim on the DS movie.

Hopefully we will be hearing something from the studio soon although I seem to be repeating myself too.

[madscntst]

About this issue, I guess I've already said all that I can say.

However, just for fun    I am now about to add some fuel to the fire, because this is undoubtedly going to be ALL over the news now.  Dick Cook has apparently been fired by Disney, and there was a phone interview with Johnny earlier today where he is being polite, but perhaps not sounding very happy with Disney about this news:

Johnny Depp says he's 'shocked and very sad' about Dick Cook's departure

See also Nicki Finke's website:

EXCLUSIVE! Dick Cook Fired From Disney; Hollywood Registering Shock At News; Cook "Never Saw It Coming", Teared Up

So, you see, things don't even run smoothly at what I referred to earlier this evening as "that behemoth Disney"    I would not assume from this that Johnny will abandon his Disney projects.  However, I can't help but think that it's not impossible for this news to have some impact.  It'll be interesting to see how this will shake out.

Cathy

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wow. And from his interview it does seem as if there could be a possibility that Depp might not do Pirates 4 unless the script is right. Wow...

(And why do I suspect that when they voiced their objections, those Disney executives weren't exactly polite enough to simply refer to Depp's body language as Captain Jack?    Though I bet they changed their tunes once the millions in profit began to roll in. Not that that excuses their initial reaction.  )