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

[jimbo]

Judging by today's article it seems no one really knows what is happening with the DS movie and it is unebelievably frustrating. I thought the new script had been turned in and approved by Burton.  I also wish we hear something from a reliable source.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/113/1131064p1.html

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Thanks for the link, jimbo.  

I'm not sure if we can go so far as to say no one knows - though one thing we can say with assurance is that the reports from deadline.com and ign.com certainly conflict with each other.    But which is right, if even either one, is anyone's guess.    One says Burton likes the script - the other says he's still waiting for it. One says the Depp/DS film will begin in February - the other says Burton hasn't even decided whether he'll do the Depp/DS film or Monsterpocolapse next. One doesn't list any sources - the other simply says things like "is said" and "they claim" and that's on a par with not citing any sources, so in that case it'a draw. But just who are these people saying and claiming? And how close to either of Burton's projects are they really? For all any of us knows, they could be people who really have no idea what they're saying and claiming who are merely speculating without any real knowledge. It you can believe what you read, such speculation goes on at every cocktail party, in every restaurant, and anywhere else that two or more industry types are present. But we can't always believe what we read, which is why I'm always saying that we should take so much of what's on these sites with a grain of salt. (And not that we can say with assurance that once again they're repeating info that's highly questionable, but ign.com was one of the many sites that continued to report Depp was going to play the Riddler in the third Batman movie even after denial after denial had come out.    But to complicate matters even further, that doesn't mean that 99.9% of the other reports they'd posted at the time weren't completely accurate.)

What will be interesting to see is how many other sites pick up ign.com's report and run with it...

wish we hear something from a reliable source.

Indeed! And if only...

[jimbo]

MB you are right. We should take these websites' reports with a grain of salt. I'm also with you and Madscntst and hoping that we can obtain information from a very reliable source like Variety. I would assume by now if DS is shooting this February that the employees at Pinewood Studios know what is going on with the DS project. I am very tired not hearing any definitive DS news and have to read articles like this http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/exclusive-johnny-depp-has-been-offered-date-snow-white-22090 where Depp may start filming Snow White and the Huntsman this January. I am tired of all the speculation surrounding the DS project. Let's hope we hear some positive confirmed DS news now!

[jimbo]

Now it will be filmed in April ?????????. Here we go again. Whatever.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/11/exclusive-johnny-depp-to-start-dark-shadows-in-april-with-tim-burton-directing/

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The interesting thing about these deadline.com reports is that they really do make it seem as if they have someone in the know, possibly even involved with the film, feeding them their info. Speculative reports don't say things like "but today was pushed back to April" - phrases like that are very specific. I still wish they'd say who is feeding them their info (but apparently their source prefers to remain anonymous...). But I will say that this report gives me more confidence that deadline.com quite possibly does know what they're talking about.

One thing that's interesting about the ign.com report of last week is that when last I noticed on Sunday only two other sites had run with ign.com's info. Not quite sure what that means. But perhaps some good really did come out of the whole Depp-Will-Play-The-Riddler-In-The-Third-Batman debacle and it has caused some sites to become more cautious about whose reports they're now willing to pick up and run with.    Though if past experience is any indication, I suspect this latest deadline.com report will be all over the Internet in a matter of days, if not hours.

The thing that would be nice to know, though, is what's been causing all these latest delays. But I suppose we'll be clued in eventually...

And as always, thanks for the link, jimbo.  

[jimbo]

MB yYou were right about how fast this news may spread http://movies.ign.com/articles/113/1132561p1.html for example. As you previously mentioned it would be nice if they named a source-why all this secrecy. Surely one of the producers can speak up directly to the media when it comes to providing a start date. But I am glad at least someone is talking. I am disappointed that it has been delayed to April only because it could be further delayed months after that. Hopefully it will be made.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

With some films, all these repeated delays could be cause for concern as to whether or not the film might ever get made. But because Burton and especially Depp are juggling so many projects, and because both have repeatedly said how dedicated they are to doing the DS film, the cause for concern should be minimal. And as has been stressed several times, repeated delays aren't at all that uncommon in the film industry. Let's recall the anecdote I posted a while back from a producer whose film took 6 years and went through 14 script drafts before it got made - and the Depp/DS film, even with this latest round of delays, is nowhere near all that.    

[madscntst]

As I mentioned a week or so ago, Nicki Finke/deadline.com is reliable.  She does sometimes speculate, but if she does she usually makes that clear (For instance, you can see that she is hedging when it comes to Johnny's other possible project with Kathryn Bigelow).  If she posts something this definitive as an "exclusive", then I believe she has solid sources.  She does not make things up-- she is not akin to the crazy bloggers and gossip sites that we've all seen spreading silly rumors and gotten so annoyed by.  Even my friend in the entertainment industry (no connections to Johnny or DS) sent me this link this afternoon.

Of course, we can wait for a confirmation from Variety or Tim or Johnny, but this is as close to definite as it can get without that.  Personally, I'm crossing my fingers but I'm thrilled by this news  

Cathy

P.S. just to add to MB's remarks, in retrospect, it seems to me that things were progressing but still tentative during the time that August was involved.  Quite possibly some of the delays were due to trying to work out disagreements with the screenplay.  It seems that as soon as they brought in Seth Grahame-Smith, things progressed much more organically and smoothly from there.  This all sounds great because it means they must be much more confident and prepared now, and that can only mean good things!!

[madscntst]

One more point, since I guess I used up my chance to modify my post    Regarding delays, I don't think a couple of months is a big deal at all.  Perhaps Tim needs more time with Frankenweenie, or perhaps Johnny will shoehorn the Bigelow project in, after all.  Also, Johnny has a film (Rango) coming out in early March, for which he will probably have to make time to attend the premiere(s) and do press junkets and the like.  Or it could simply be a matter of arranging the studio, or other things that we don't even know about. 

I'm stoked!!   

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It seems that as soon as they brought in Seth Grahame-Smith, things progressed much more organically and smoothly from there.  This all sounds great because it means they must be much more confident and prepared now

I've gotten that impression as well.

and that can only mean good things!!

Definitely.

Or it could simply be a matter of arranging the studio, or other things that we don't even know about.

Exactly. Production delays can be caused by all sort of things that have nothing to do with the availability of stars/directors. It could easily be your suggestion of the availability of studio space (I seriously doubt WB has been paying for that Pinewood space all this time), or more time is needed to construct sets, or the availability of desired locations (if indeed there will even be locations - with Burton one never knows), or any number of completely nonfatal circumstances.

[jimbo]

The Hollywood Reporter even picked it up but named no source. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/dark-shadows-johnny-depps-movie-35813

I'm getting stoked. Almost there. jk

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Excellent! And not to diss deadline.com in any way because I've come to be fully on board with them as a reliable source, but seeing a report in The Hollywood Reporter is doubly satisfying. Not to mention that this is the first time that either Variety or The Hollywood Reporter has reported anything like WB officially setting a start. Now hopefully casting news will be forthcoming within the next several months...

As for the lack of a named source in The Hollywood Reporter's report, at least with the trades, unless an article specifically states it is speculation, there's always the implication that the source is very reliable and connected in some way to the project, whether it be the production company, studio, or what have you.

[madscntst]

So, before anyone sees this and has a heart attack, there is this blog which seems to disagree with my confidence in Ms. Finke:

http://www.pajiba.com/think_pieces/nikki-finke-johnny-depp-and-why-the-offer-story-is-such-bullsht-the-farce-of-the-trade-news-game.php

All I can say is that while I see the point of rushing to be first with a scoop, and Ms. Finke certainly does seem to like to do that, to me, she does not do so recklessly.  I'm unfamiliar with the other blogger, and while he/she may be right, to me, it looks a little like jealousy or an axe to grind.  At any rate, as you say, MB, Hollywood Reporter picking up on this story certainly does lend more credibility to it, so for now, I am cautiously thrilled to bits!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wow. The piece has more than a whiff of jealousy to me too. And apparently he/she was completely unaware that The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed deadline.com's story, so his/her rants on that point are completely moot and do nothing more than make him/her appear to be moronic. But then, if he/she had been watching the trades instead of doing all sorts of needless research into Depp, maybe he/she would have seen the confirmation before he/she had posted the blog. Though if he/she had seen it, I suppose he/she probably would have simply reworked those parts and said Nikki Finke merely got lucky this time.  

If that entry is typical of what's normally written at pajiba.com, then count me among the people who are neither impressed or about to follow the site. Sadly, I think the blog says a lot more about the person who wrote it than it does about Nikki Finke - and what it says is hardly flattering. But I can't actually say I'm surprised by the tone of the entry because so many people don't seem to realize that having a blog doesn't give them a license to post personal (and in this case, given how the first paragraph ends, juvenile) attacks on someone...

[jimbo]

I have seen on Twitter several attacks on Nikki from sites like IESB and AICN and some others accusing her of not giving said sites credit on her purported breaking stories. I have seen real foul language used by some sites against her which is not too professional. It seems all of these sites want to be the first to post a breaking story on Twitter and we all know how competitive these sites can be. But in all fairness to Nikki she does seem to have good sources. At first glance I thought THR was merely reporting Deadline's breaking news but I guess I was wrong. It seems to me that JD may be attempting to squeeze another movie in before DS but we still don't know why the DS movie has been postponed until April.