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

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And while getting a detail wrong about the forty-year-old source material may be (well, is) sloppy, I don't think it deserves to be called "shoddy" or in any sense smacking of tabloids.

I didn't simply craft my remark about the site's shoddy tabloidy reporting based on the Michelle Pfeiffer piece. I based it on way too many of the other articles I'd read before I gave up on the site because of its shoddy tabloidy reporting. Unfortunately, anyone who reads enough of what they traffic in there will see exactly what I mean.  

[KMR]

Why, oh why, do people constantly refer to the original DS as being "campy"? Any campiness was strictly in the eyes of the beholder, due to the budget of the show and the nature of it being a daily soap (where the actors and crew have only a day to learn, rehearse, and produce one episode). If anything, I would call the show "naive" (the only word I can think of); it took the material seriously, and presented it simply but earnestly.

[ProfStokes]

Seems to me like there's plenty of potential for humor without camp, in DS as well as elsewhere.   

I'm inclined to agree.  Over the weekend, I saw The King's Speech, which I described to a friend as "very funny."  It's definitely a dramatic movie, but the dialogue is also very clever and humorous. I was laughing throughout the film. Maybe the humor in DS will also be highbrow instead of campy.

ProfStokes

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I hope so, ProfStokes.  And I hope most of the humor comes from witty exchanges between Liz and Roger, Hoffman and Barnabas, and Roger and anybody else.  The original was funny, but the scripts were not "very funny;" they had funny dialogue sometimes, but they weren't, as whole pieces, meant to be funny.

But, maybe there will be some insider jokes.  Maybe flies will attack somebody when they walk into a crypt...   

[DarkLady]

I hope so too. I have to admit I cringed and abandoned all hope when I heard it was going to be a Tim Burton oeuvre, but I'm inclined to be ever so slightly hopeful now that Michelle Pfeiffer may play Elizabeth.

[jimbo]

Article appearing in today's New York Daily News about Johnny Depp dressed up for the Oscars-a bit OT but the new DS movie is mentioned.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2011/02/24/2011-02-24_johnny_depp_is_risktaker_hollywoods_last_dandy_with_quirky_diverse_red_carpet_ou.html

As far as the "funny script" is concerned JD did state that he wasn't going to deviate much from Frid's portrayal so at this point I am just hoping for the best.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

but the new DS movie is mentioned.

Uh, 'they'll make "Dark Shadows" next year.'  I think they're a bit off there. Presumably they meant that the Depp/DS film will come out next year - not that it will be made next year. But hey, what's a little thing like accuracy anymore?     

[jimbo]

I was going to mention that but from all we have seen I am no longer expecting a DS article that is complete and accurate and that is unfortunate. sigh

[Taeylor Collins]

I personally think some of the humor may come from the fact that Barnabas is thrust from 1790 or 1795 or maybe earlier for this film and thrust into 2011 with tweeting, facebook and all kinds of new fangled stuff. I can see Johnny playing stuff like that funnily!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Re. the Johnny diet rumor, I wouldn't put too much stock in that.  It is a tabloid report, and we are constantly hearing complete fabrications

Speaking of which, it just dawned on me that Colleen Atwood's remark about Depp having his first costume fitting with her earlier this week would seem to completely torpedo any notion of Depp subjecting himself to a green tea diet to get down to 140 pounds for the film. Obviously (and thankfully) he doesn't weigh 140 pounds now - and if he was planning to diet down to 140 pounds, chances aren't very likely that they would be doing any sort of costume fittings until he reached that weight. Chalk up what would certainly seem to be one more complete fabrication (with made up quotes, no less - but then, making up quotes isn't exactly something that tabloids are above doing, now are they?  ).

[Stuart]

Not necessarily, MB... Often a costume fitting, particularly early ones, can just be the process of trying on stock clothes at a costume house to get a feel for potential looks, not fitting actual final costumes.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Perhaps. Though I have to confess that I took Colleen Atwood's remark that she was happy that she'd had her first fitting with Depp to mean that she was happy to have a fitting with him with one or more of her own designs. But perhaps I was reading more into her remark than she actually meant and perhaps the process of even just seeing an actor trying on stock clothes at a costume house makes her happy. 

Speaking of costumes, I see where the film has added Sheena Wichary as its costume coordinator. But what's more interesting is that the art department has added Dan Maslen as the animatic artist. Not that there was much doubt that there would be CGI in the film, but his addition would seem to confirm it.

[Sara Monster]

Helena Bonham Carter describes the role of Julia as an 'alcoholic psychiatrist' while being interviewed on the Oscar's red carpet:

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/vampiresandslayers/news/?a=30979

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Here's a direct link to the MTV video: Helena Bonham Carter On Playing An 'Alcoholic Psychiatrist'

So, Julia will be an alcoholic in the film. Not that many characters were far off from being alcoholics on the original series - but it will definitely add an interesting dimension to the character that's never been there before. Also, Julia's thirst for liquor could make her identify more with Barnabas' thirst for blood, so that could easily make their relationship even more fascinating than usual.

It's also nice to hear someone say "fun part" instead of that the film itself will be funny...

Thanks for the heads up, Sara.  
(And love the sherry spiking test. So THAT's what that dream was really supposed to be.  )

[jimbo]

Another Johnny Depp interview where he attempts to explain the new version and take on the script.
http://collider.com/johnny-depp-interview-rango-dark-shadows/78172/