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

The article says that Depp is now free to turn his attention to DS - but with almost five months before DS begins production, why do I suspect Depp might fit something in beforehand (film, voice, narration, who knows what)? Could it be that the man seems like a workaholic?  

As to what Johnny could possibly do with his time between now and April, that is a question that we fans are certainly asking ourselves right now     Some known/possible activities:

...
Keith Richards documentary that Johnny is directing- I'd like to see him use this time to get this done!
...

According to this article, it would seem that's exactly what he's doing:

Johnny Depp talks Keith Richards documentary

And as this article points out, with DS coming up, it would seem likely that Depp will shoot any additional footage with Richards before DS begins shooting.

And here's the complete Entertainment Weekly piece: Johnny Depp talks about filming his Keith Richards documentary: 'It was intense' - EXCLUSIVE
(No mention of DS in this article, though.)


Also, apparently Depp is on the cover of EW once again - this time for the 2011 Preview issue. Unfortunately mine didn't arrive in the mail today, so I have no idea if he says anything about DS in his article...

Also, apparently Depp is on the cover of EW once again - this time for the 2011 Preview issue. Unfortunately mine didn't arrive in the mail today, so I have no idea if he says anything about DS in his article...

I skimmed through one & didn't see him discussing it. On the side article, there's just a small mention of it as one of his upcoming movies, with the filming beginning in April.

Thanks, Sara.    And that's actually more than I was expecting because I was expecting it all to be strictly about Pirates 4...

Just saw where Colleen Atwood won a Critics Choice Award tonight for Best Costumes for Alice in Wonderland. She seems to have racked up quite a few nominations/awards for her designs, so it would seem we're in good hands with her doing the costumes for the Depp/DS film...


And speaking of awards, most predictions are saying Depp should win a Golden Globe on Sunday for his role as The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. I suppose we'll see...

^^^ I hope so!  The only possible problem is that his two nominations might split the vote, leaving it open for someone else (I think I've seen Paul Giamatti's name the most after Johnny's).  Luckily, Johnny doesn't care that much about awards, and I think having to be there makes him kinda uncomfortable.  That said, I hope he'll be there, and I hope he'll win!

Colleen Atwood is a goddess, and she always makes Johnny look great, so I can't wait to see what she comes up with for DS.  I'm so glad she won for Alice In Wonderland.  A bit off this topic but DS-related-- I did watch the Critics Choice awards last night, and was thrilled to see David Selby in one of the Social Network clips they chose to show   

Cathy

A brief mention of the DS movie in this video clip uploaded today-sounds good "hearing" it .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jv7J30AW-A

sounds good "hearing" it

Definitely. It sounds great hearing it from someone's mouth other than one of our own.    And hopefully it's but the first of many mentions we'll soon be hearing.

Thanks for posting the link.  

if this film starts in April, shouldn't they be casting other roles by now?

They may very well be. But a lot of times casting announcements are not made until a movie is just about to go into production or even just starting production. It could still be months before we hear anything - well, anything that's confirmed. Of course, rumors (similar to the one involving Kirsten Van Wagner as Vicki) may run rampant long before then - and some may even turn out to be true... And for what it's worth, the NYT is certainly sticking to their belief that Helena Bonham Carter will be playing Julia.    And an interesting thing about that is that (unlike the possibility of Van Wagner's casting) no other sites seem to have picked up and run with it. But I suppose the IMDb is more high profile than the NYT's film production area, so who knows how many people other than us are even paying attention to the NYT's listings for DS?  

Thanks for the clip, jimbo.  I get a little skittish when I hear about POTC 5&6... thinking that maybe they should see how 4 does, first!    Great to hear DS being mentioned regularly, now.  David Elijah, I was thinking that we ought to start hearing some casting news after the New Year, and, well, it's after the New Year!  So I'm hoping to start hearing something soon.  Trying to be patient....

Cathy

I'm hoping to start hearing something soon.

From your typing fingers to the movie's press release department!  

Trying to be patient....

Which is not always easy - especially considering that we're basically ravenous for even a small tidbit of confirmed info...

I see where the Tim Burton produced Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, based on Seth Grahame-Smith's book with screenplay by him, has been set for release by FOX on June 22, 2012 (Actors Testing For Abe in 'Vampire Hunter'). I'm not quite sure if that's good, bad or completely inconsequential news - especially because we have no idea when Warner Bros. plans to release the Depp/DS film (or even if they've even settled on a release date yet). If the film comes out after the Depp/DS film, then it's certainly completely inconsequential news. But if it comes out first, it could have a bearing on how audiences/critics view the Depp/DS film, particularly if AL:VH doesn't turn out so well and/or doesn't do well at the boxoffice. Going in there could be an unfair attitude that, because Burton/Grahame-Smith's first collaboration turned out badly, the Depp/DS film could easily turn out to be bad as well. But even if AL:VH does turn out well and rakes in a boatload of money at the boxoffice, that can be a double-edged sword because then, and even though the Depp/DS film is bound to be a very different take on the vampire genre from what AL:VH will be doing, audiences/critics are bound to compare the two - and it's that sort of comparison that could easily affect the Depp/DS film's reception/boxoffice.

It would be nice to believe that each film, regardless of which comes out first, will be judged completely independently of the other. But it's much more often the case that films are often judged and weighed against the previous efforts of those involved. And considering that AL:VH and the Depp/DS film will no doubt have similarities even beyond dealing with the subject of vampires and that Burton and Grahame-Smith are involved in some way with both, comparison is not only likely, it's inevitable. So, it's going to be fascinating to see how things play out. The best case scenario would be that if AL:VH comes out first, it becomes such a big hit that people who might not have otherwise will anticipate and embrace the Depp/DS film in ways that will turn out to make it one of the biggest hits of the year, eclipsing AL:VH.  


Changing reels, you'll note that the linked article says that AL:VH has been focused on casting since November. However so far as I've noticed there hasn't been any sort of casting news released. And that just goes to show that a similar situation can easily be going on with the Depp/DS film. It's quite possible that it's been screen testing/casting for months already. Just because we haven't heard any confirmed info, it doesn't necessarily mean that some if not many of the roles haven't already been cast...


(And I must say I'm fascinated by some of the actors who are screen testing for Abe. I wouldn't have pictured any of them in the film. But if I'm to go by the caliber of actors being considered, apparently the film will be different from what I might have imagined. And at least that's a good thing from the perspective of what Seth Grahame-Smith's screenplay writing may be like...)

Just saw where Colleen Atwood won a Critics Choice Award tonight for Best Costumes for Alice in Wonderland. She seems to have racked up quite a few nominations/awards for her designs, so it would seem we're in good hands with her doing the costumes for the Depp/DS film...

And what if it were set in the '60s...

Atwood has designed for all different time periods, fantasy and reality, and even the future - and her designs have been nominated for various awards dozens of times, including the Oscars, where she's won twice (for Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha). I suspect designing for the '60s wouldn't be a problem for her.  

However, and I don't exactly know why, but I get the suspicion that the Depp/DS film will be set in the present, meaning the '10s rather than the '60s...

Oh, I know, MB.  I guess I should have made it clearer that I was thinking about all of the possibilities if it were in the '60s in terms of costumes.  The movie would just have to be great!   

But, yeah, I suspect it will be in the present day today, as opposed to the "present."