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

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Looks like someone over there at the NY Times site needs to delete a few extra listings.  

As for Julia, I do continue to find it fascinating that they continue to list Helena Bonham Carter for Julia even though there have been no reports that say she will be playing the role AND she has repeatedly said she hasn't even been asked to be in the film. But perhaps they know more than HBC has been letting on. Or they're convinced that she will eventually be asked and that she will agree to be Julia...


And BTW, James Franco is now supposedly up for the Oz movie. Reports are that Depp passed on it Thursday night...

[Julia99]

AND she has repeatedly said she hasn't even been asked to be in the film. But perhaps they know more than HBC has been letting on. Or they're convinced that she will eventually be asked and that she will agree to be Julia...

Actors are like politicians...i mean if they can cry at a sham Golden Globe award win, they can say and do whatever is expedient.  No disrespect to HBC but maybe her agent is advising her to play tough with hubby to get more $$ or a part in another film..who knows.

[michael c]

what's strange is that if you google 'bella heathcote victoria winters' dozens of links pop up but if you google 'bella heathcote maggie evans' you get nothing.

so she's either "victoria" or she's "a governess" or she's "a waitress" but she's never referred to as "maggie".

i wonder if they're creating a composite character(magtoria?). vicki as a waitress doesn't work for me.

[Nightfall59]

That is similar to what I was wondering. Perhaps, instead of having two main ingenues, they will simply call her "Victoria Winters", but give her Maggie's background as a local waitress and have her go to work as the Collinwood governess? That is what Maggie did later on, anyway. After Vicki was gone.

I suppose we'll find out sooner or later.

[Cousin_Barnabas]

If she is going to be a waitress, she ought to be Maggie.  If she is going to be from a foundling home, she ought to be Victoria.  If she is simply going to be governess, it doesn't matter if she is going to be Vicki or Maggie.  But character origins are rather important.  Anyway, if Willie Loomis is going to con Liz, what is it going to be about?  I'd think it would be about the foundling girl if anything, especially considering the age of Loomis.  But, just idle, fun, speculation. 

[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, such as the recent rumor that he bought a place in Venice (eventually denied by his publicist).

Yes, I saw those Venice house reports and the publicist's denial. Par for the course for the Internet to latch onto something that's a complete fabrication and to spread it all over the place.

We've seen several paparazzi shots from within the past week, and he is looking very healthy and fit.

Good to hear.

Re. Jackie Earle Haley, I did see Little Children, and thought he was amazing in that, walking a fine line between being despicable and sympathetic (didn't he get an Oscar nomination for that one?).

Yes, he was nominated for numerous acting awards for Little Children, including a Best Supporting Actor Oscar - and I believe he won several of them.

Re. the comedy aspect, I hope I am right in that I am still envisioning an atmosphere along the lines of Sleepy Hollow or Sweeney Todd, where there are some funny lines, but nothing slapstick or overtly knee-slapping comedy.  Both films were definitely able to hold a menacing vibe.

I still haven't watched Sweeney Todd (despite having owned the DVD for well over a year), but I definitely agree that Sleepy Hollow would be the perfect template for incorporating a bit of humor because all the humor in that film comes directly from character and character situations. (And in my defense with ST, I want to watch the DVD with some friends who are also interested in seeing the film but missed it when it was in theaters. But we just haven't all gotten together in the same place at the same time. One day...)

[Gothick]

Are people really expecting the characters in Depp Shadows to bear any orderly or systematic relationship to the classic DS series?  I mean, Maggie Evans was changed pretty radically from the person we knew from the Sixties in the 1990 redaction of the story.  So if they decide to make Vicki a waitress who--for example--is hired at Collinwood to be a companion to a disturbed and reclusive Mrs. Stoddard when everybody's favorite "Cousin from England" (or will it be set in England and he'll be a "Cousin from America" this time around?), that should come as no surprise.  This is NOT going to be a remake of the 1966 series; it's going to be its own thing altogether.  Or at least, that is what it should be if it wants to have its own identity as a 21st century pop culture phenom.

I'm still disappointed that Angelique wasn't cast with a black actress.  To my mind, that would make a fascinating new departure and a decisive sign that we're dealing with something new here.

G.

[jimbo]

A DS movie casting video news clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqlg2RBW8YI

[michael c]

believe it or not i still have dial up so downloading videos takes hours.

does this actually say who heathcote is playing or is it just speculative?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

From the previous reports I've seen from ClevverMovies, I'm pretty sure they regurgitate what's on the Internet and they say Bella Heathcote will play "governess Victoria Winters." However the interesting thing about the governess vs. waitress angle is that more and more Internet reports are saying Heathcote will play a waitress, apparently picking that up from Variety's reports rather than those of deadline.com. So the question would still appear to remain unanswered definitively.

I'm hoping ShadowGram will settle the issue sooner rather than later. But Marcy Robin did say she will report "confirmed casting," so I'm sure that means that she won't be reporting anything until the actors she'll report on have actually signed and are not simply in talks...


And thanks for the link, jimbo. As I said the last time, it's always fun to actually hear these things said out loud by people other than us.  

[Teresa]

I'm hoping for some new angles with the new film.  Maybe take some bits and pieces from the original and add some Burton/Depp flair to it.  I am just so excited they are making it period!!

[jimbo]

That is true MB. The sound coming from us is deafening j/k I find it hard to believe we don't know for sure what role Bella is auditioning for. JP please clarify this simple issue for us?

[Taeylor Collins]

It's definitely a EXCITING time to be a DS fan. I remember when I first came to the forums it was because I had heard about the pilot. Then I quit coming after that and then when Johnny bought the writes I became a permanent fixture here. It's great see all of it coming to fruition.  I am SO HAPPY and excited!  So far I am very happy with the casting.  I would love to see Cate Blanchett as Julia; however, it seems BIG names aren't being cast;  regardless,  if they cast a good actress I am sure I will be happy.  I personally don't want HBC to play Julia because to me she is over used and I personally don't see her as Julia.  I am hoping we get a Grayson or Barbara type gal to play Julia.  I equally love Barbara and Grayson and I can't say that when comparing old to new in all the actors. I thought Barabara was a bit darker and brought a bit more style and beauty to the role.  Grayson is just a lot of fun.  I know everyone knows I adore her as well.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

To add another element of mystery to the situation, I see that the IMDb has added Bella Heathcote's name to the cast of the film BUT they don't list a character name for her. Though having no idea who's updating the IMDb listing, we have no way of knowing if that's a deliberate omission for some strange reason or if, like us, they're simply waiting for the matter to be cleared up.


I also noticed that IMDb is listing two new technical members on the film: Katterli Frauenfelder is the first assistant director and Andrew Bennett is the assistant art director.

Frauenfelder has previously worked with Burton on Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Big Fish, also co-producing the first three and working as an associate producer on the last. Frauenfelder will also co-produce DS.

The first assistant director tends to handle things like setting the shooting schedule, tracking daily progress against the schedule, preparing the daily call sheets, checking the arrivals of the cast and crew, maintaining order on the set, rehearsing the cast, and directing the extras.

Bennett has previously worked with Rick Heinrichs on Captain America: The First Avenger and The Wolfman as the draughtsman, which in general is someone who does the detailed drawings for a film's set design based on the production designer's concepts.

Being hired as the assistant art director for DS would seem to be a step up for Bennett because the responsibilities can entail doing research, accessing props, surveying locations, making models and helping to produce all the sets.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A bit more news: this article at backstage.com says London-based casting director Susie Figgis is handling the casting for the Depp/DS film.

Figgis has extensive casting credits and has worked on many of Burton's and Depp's films - as well as those like the Harry Potter series and The Young Victoria for Graham King.