Johnny Depp Movie Cast ideas

I'm surprised none of you have mentioned this, but if its a Johnny Depp/Tim Burton collaboration, you a re going to get...Helena Bonham Cater as Julia. Then maybe Paul Reubens as Willie, Jeffrey Jones as Roger and Michael Gough as the Eagle Hill Caretaker.  (I would have liked Julianne Morre as Julia as remember Julia should be only slightly older than Barnabas but more mature than Vicki.)
       I like the choices mentioned of Anne Hathaway as Vickie/Josette, and Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansen or Angelina Jolie as Angelique. I hope they keep Josette a brunette and Angelique a blonde, I didn't care as much for the reversal on the WB pilot. I like Tom Welling as Joe/Nathan too. Welling is pretty underrated. What about Jaclyn Smith, Leslie Anne Downe or Jane Seymour as Elizabeth?
        Do realize Depp is very much going to put his own "twist" on this, please reference his takes on Willie Wonka, Ichabod Crane (he didn't go all Don Knotts/Jeff Goldblum there), and Ed Wood (as Jon Lovitz?) Thinking it over, the closest to Barnabas that Depp has done may have been Gilbert Grape, which for me bodes well as it may be his most under appreciated performance.
         To me Burton can be brilliant (Beetlejuice), reviatlizing (Batman), heart breaking (Ed Wood, which is one of the best films about friendship ever), but he can also be too campy (Mars Attacks I still don't know what THAT was all about) or just plain mssing the target (Planet of the Apes, did he not realize astrnaut Taylor needed a Real Dr. Zaius to play against, what a lost opportunity). For too many years, I have hated to hear "Dark Shadows referred to , over and over as, "the campy vampire soap", so that's the very last thing I want to see happen for real. Don't make it so. So, who knows, be careful what you wish for...

Michael 

the vermillion-tressed julianne moore would be divine as the good doctor hoffman!

i can also see anne hathaway as vicki to some extent.

casting for liz is going to to difficult.she needs to come across as fundamentaly "good" but also slightly aloof and aristocratic.

someone mentioned a wish for maggie to become slightly more "down to earth" and i'm all for the character returning to her true nature.if one recalls maggie in the early episodes she's that proverbial "salt of the earth",the "working girl with the heart of gold".she was supposed to be a nice antidote to the petulant and high-strung carolyn and the virginal and naive vicki...later on she just becomes a generic d.s. ingenue.

Maggie Evans was also supposed to be an Eve Arden type - the wisecracking sidekick.  Arden received an Oscar nomination for playing Joan Crawford's pal in MILDRED PIERCE. I always wished Maggie had retained that no-nonsense gumption when she became governess at Collinwood - she might have been a force to reckon with!

I'm surprised none of you have mentioned this, but if its a Johnny Depp/Tim Burton collaboration, you a re going to get...Helena Bonham Cater as Julia.

Not in the role of Julia, but J99 posted this to the sticky topic.  You may have seen it by now: 

I'm not so worried about Burton or Depp, i think they have the chops. . the issue in my mind is (if they went Team Burton-Depp) who would Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Burton) portray.  I like her but she's Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd?  That one threw me .. i don't see that.  she'd be a good Aunt Abigail or maybe even Natalie duPres?

Maybe Hayden Panettiere as Carolyn? Panettiere plays Claire (the cheerleader) on HEROES.

Interesting you should say this now, because only yesterday I was introduced to her singing voice and it was evocative of Nancy Barrett's vocals, but I'm sorry to say not in a good way.  (Hayden sings "Try" on YouTube)
 

or just plain mssing the target (Planet of the Apes, did he not realize astrnaut Taylor needed a Real Dr. Zaius to play against, what a lost opportunity).

OMG - I'd completely forgotten about that disaster! (But then, most lovers of good film have tried their best to forget it. Way to kill a potential franchise, Tim!!  ) And the fact that Burton made it is yet more reason to hope he isn't involved in Depp's DS film.

Rowlands would be good if she were younger!  But at 77 she's too old.  Liz should be 50ish, not elderly.
Wahlberg as Burke, Knightly as Vickie, Lilly as Maggie, Monaghan as Willie (and he's available now he's been killed off Lost), Gyllanhal as Joe, Emerson as Trask and Carter as either Abigail or Natalie I can definitely see.  I can also see J. Smith, LA Down or Seymour as Liz.

Cate Blanchett would be a great Angelique

To be honest I picture Johnny Depp more as Quentin, but he's a good actor and thus I'm sure he could pull of Barnabas with his own twist.  Alan Rickman would have made a very good Barnabas though.

I think Tim Burton would be good as director but, if so, he'd better leave the odd humor out of it.  I really liked Sleepy Hollow, and Tim Burton "gets it" with regards to creating a rich fantasy world with gothic horror elements.  Nevertheless. the fun sense of humor evident in many of his films would not work in DS.  No "campy" please.  But judging from Sleepy Hollow I think Tim could do it. 

Having caught Glenn Close on DAMAGES last week, I think she would make a good Elizabeth Stoddard! Close has a very commanding, almost regal presence nowadays.

Well i just know that these casting choices have to happen....

Quentin Collins- Josh Holloway (Sawyer on Lost)
Angelique- Megan Fox (Transformers)
Victoria- Julia Stiles
Willie Loomis- Crispin Glover

I'm still partial to Faye Dunaway, in spite of the caps, for the role of Elizabeth, although Glenn Close (as markyboo mentioned) would probably do a good job in the role.

I would love to see Julianne Moore as Julia.

For Roger, I was thinking Kevin Spacey because he could pull off the withering sarcasm that Louis Edmonds brought to the role.

I tried casting a few roles on a Depp forum I belong to, in part to introduce a few of the possible characters:

--Elizabeth Collins Stoddard- Helen Mirren
--Roger Collins- Tom Hollander (Cutler Beckett in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, but I like Kevin Spacey, too)
--Carolyn Stoddard- Hayden Panettiere (Heroes)
--Victoria Winters- Anne Hathaway
--David Collins- Freddy Highmore (Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland)  he might be too old, but he's worked well with Johnny before
--Amy Jennings- AnaSophia Robb (Violet Beauregard in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory) going on a theme here! Though she might be too old by the time the movie gets filmed, I like the idea of the old and new Violets playing this character
--Maggy Evans- Maggy Gyllenhaal
--Sam Evans- Kevin McNally (Mr. Gibbs in the Pirates films)
--Professor Stokes (drew a blank)
--Julia Hoffman- Glenn Close (a friend suggested this, and it was the best choice I thought of)
--Quentin- Cillian Murphy
--Willy Loomis- Jim Carrey (love the idea of Crispin Glover, though!)
--Angelique- Naomi Watts.
--Reverend Trask (drew a blank)

Cathy

Buzz--

I love Dame Judi as Elizabeth, even though she is in her 70s, which is why I suggested Kate Hudson as Carolyn, because she's could believably play a 25-30 year old woman. I don't know her actual age, however. For me, I like to think of Elizabeth as the shuttered, lord-of-the-manner, aristocratic type, that isn't overly welcoming, but isn't completely insensitive and rude either. She's got secrets to keep, a family to protect, so from an outsiders POV, she's going to give a little shiver while being motherly at the same time. So I think Dame Judi or Helen Mirren would probably be able to convey this.

Angelique needs to stay a blonde, and I have to give a resounding NO to the idea of Angelique Jolie. She could play seductive, but we need someone who can be seductive, challenging, vindictive, bitchy, and smarmy all at once. After seeing Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal", I'd simply die to get her and Dame Judi in the same scene together again!

As for Julia, I think Moore or Janney could pull it off. Either one could be calculating, productive, lustful, and piercing all rolled up into one.

I'm afraid that I want and hope that the producers/casting directors shy heavily away from the younger Hollywood crowd--Hayden Panetierre, Lindsay Lohan, etc--because I just don't think any of them have the credentials or acting ability that would blow me away.

I'm surprised none of you have mentioned this, but if its a Johnny Depp/Tim Burton collaboration, you a re going to get...Helena Bonham Cater as Julia.

Not in the role of Julia, but J99 posted this to the sticky topic.  You may have seen it by now: 

I'm not so worried about Burton or Depp, i think they have the chops. . the issue in my mind is (if they went Team Burton-Depp) who would Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Burton) portray.  I like her but she's Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd?  That one threw me .. i don't see that.  she'd be a good Aunt Abigail or maybe even Natalie duPres?

Thanks MB, as you know I don't get here as often as I used to so I had missed that post, but well GMTA I hope. I usually appreciate J99's opinions.

       I know who would be a good Sam Evans, Dan Roebuck (Dr. Arzt on "Lost", was in Matlock, River's Edge...") Dan is a big classic horror fan as well and would bring the proper respect to the part.
        Here's speculation for the group, as we all like's Tim Buton's style, most especially his design in for example "Batman",, but many of us do have some concerns with putting too much humor (or the dreaded "c-word", camp") I wonder what M Night Shyamalan or Christopher Nolan might do with DS? There's so few horror/mystery directors around now suited for DS. As much as I like them, I'd rule out Sam Raimi, Tobe Hooper or George Romero for obvious reasons. (great storytellers but too graphic, although Raimi's "A Simple Plan" shows great subtlety.) Another very good but less well know direct is Robert Tinnell. I highly reccomend his 1996 "Frankenstein and Me" especially for people who have adolescent kids that like scary films. The film takes place in the 1960's and the kids are even watching Shadows in one scene. Tinnell's was especially good at working with the young actors in the film, as well as getting one of Burt Reynold's best performances ever. (really)

Michael 

For some reason, I've had a hard time coming up with an actor to play Prof. Stokes (a testament to how superb Thayer David was in the role?), but I'll throw a name in the ring. How about Richard Griffiths, a portly, British character actor? Most of you probably know him as the mean uncle, Vernon Dursley, in the Harry Potter films. He won a Tony award for his performance in THE HISTORY BOYS & recreated the role in the wonderful film version.

Also, two possibilities as Roger Collins -

1. Victor Garber

2. John Slattery - a character actor I've seen in the past on HOMEFRONT & JACK AND BOBBY. He can currently be seen on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (he's Gabby's new hubby) & on AMC's damn good new series, MADMEN.

I wonder what M Night Shyamalan or Christopher Nolan might do with DS?

M Night Shyamalan?  Perish the thought!  He'll cast himself in a painful and endless cameo...