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

I sure hope they haven't been paying rental fees to Pinewood Studios since we first heard that they'd lined up stages there!    That would be one huge bill by now!!    But the good thing about this news is that perhaps they can begin building the necessary sets so that everything will be approved and in place by the time shooting commences. And believe me, at this point, with so little known about the production, I'd be thrilled just to see a few pictures of some sets!  

And as always, thanks so much for the link, jimbo.  

My pleasure MB. I also hope they haven't been paying rent all that time-that might eat into the budget. jk I would not be surprised if they have not already started building sets or about to begin to build now. I guess Zanuck meant by the stages are lined up that the stages have only been booked(?). That would be tremendous if we could see the sets! It certainly is true that there has been a dearth of information regarding this project. I still hope some exteriors shots will be shot in the U.S. but that may be unlikely due to production costs etc... There may be more information coming out today because I read that Burton and Depp are doing many interviews today.

I still hope some exteriors shots will be shot in the U.S. but that may be unlikely due to production costs etc...

As I mentioned in another topic, that's something that I suspect. Many US states require crews be hired from their own states - so that could mean that the DS film would have to hire an all new crew rather than work with the same crew as in London. And that would mean dealing with different unions, different rates of pay, etc. But Great Britain has some great locations and some great houses, so I'd be quite content to see them used in the film - especially if they're going with a backstory for Collinwood that it was first built in England and then transported to the US at some point (as was the case in the '91 series), or even if Collinwood was simply patterned after the Collins' ancestral home in Great Britain... (Not to mention that, by virtue of the fact that he lives there, perhaps Stuart Manning might get invited to do some on the scene reporting for collinwood.net for us fans.  )

There may be more information coming out today because I read that Burton and Depp are doing many interviews today.

We should only be so lucky...

Oh that would be great if Stuart can provide us with on the scene reporting. Talking about a dream job! So essentially the movie will most likely be filmed like the original series was-exterior of houses and filming the scenes on a studio lot-unlike the 1991 and 2004 reincarnations where they filmed some scenes inside and around the Greystone mansion and the rest on a lot. Maybe it is just to early to call.

So essentially the movie will most likely be filmed like the original series was-exterior of houses and filming the scenes on a studio lot-unlike the 1991 and 2004 reincarnations where they filmed some scenes inside and around the Greystone mansion and the rest on a lot. Maybe it is just to early to call.

That seems to be the way Burton likes to work - all the better to "protect" his projects behind locked doors and to keep everyone maddeningly in the dark (no pun intended).    But we shall see...

But we’re shooting over here (London) even though the movie is set in Portland, Maine.

Not in Portland!  Will we be losing our mythical little seaport village in the new movie?  Or did Zanuck misspeak?

ProfStokes

I wondered about that, too. But I suspect he misspoke.

I am hoping that he misspoke and that is not in the script. I can't see them changing our little seaport village. As long as they can find their way to Pinewood Studios we should be ok. jk

Though if they have changed the setting to Portland, I also suspect they have their reasons. I have no idea what they might be. Then again, we know absolutely nothing about the script. And again I suspect Tim Burton, especially, likes it that way.  

I'm sure the suit dude could only remember "port" and said "Portland" in lieu of "Collinsport."

btw, for those who enjoy reading behind the scenes stuff about the insane world of Ho'wood, there's a hysterical piece about big producer and hair stylist Jon Peters in the current Vanity Fair.  Apparently Peters is literally an illiterate.  It's wild stuff.

G.

Next week's issue of Entertainment Weekly features a cover article in which Johnny Depp and Tim Burton look back on 20 years of collaborations - and in the interview section, when asked if DS will be their next project, Burton is quoted as saying: "For now we're still basking in the glow of Alice. But we're working on Dark Shadows."

Well that's better than nothing. Plus we all know how secretive these two are!  Side note: It just tickles me that Johnny is a Kentucky boy like me!   I have never been ashamed of that fact but I hadn't forgotten that he was from Ky till recently.

This is from an interview with Richard Zanuck today. ... "We’ve got the stages at Pinewood lined up."

How cool!  Thanks Jimbo!

OT a bit. This writer of this article was not too kind to Burton and Depp in his review of Alice in Wonderland. I hope this review is not representative of most of the critics. A brief DS mention.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-motion-captured/posts/the-m-c-review-alice-in-wonderland

Varirey had problems with Alice, too - but nothing like that review. Wow - that review is a complete slam - Variety simply said that in parts Alice is too conventional. Though they seemed to blame that on the fact that "it's a Disney film illustrated by Burton, rather than a Burton film that happens to be released by Disney." And they liked Depp.

Despite how he regales the reader with how much he's loved much of Burton's previous work, it's almost as if the reviewer from HitFix went into the film with the preconceived belief that he was going to hate it. And, sadly, some reviewers do indeed do that...