Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

[joe integlia]

eva green was mentioned as being a guest later this week on kimmel but they didnt say what night.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Kimmel is apparently having a DS bonanza, because Chloe Moretz will guest (along with Kristen Stewart, vampire overload, lol!) on May 7, and Johnny on May 8. Chloe will also be on Letterman on the 3rd.

Thanks for the info. And I also see that Jonny Lee Miller will be an Kimmel on Monday the 30th and Eva Green will be on the show Wednesday the 2nd. He's definitely having a DS bonanza!!

And if all that wasn't enough, Michelle Pfeiffer is on Leno on the 7th, so that night we get two DS stars on late night talk shows!

No word yet when Depp is on Ellen - but since it's not this week, he must be on next week. And since I record Ellen every day, I'll certainly post as soon as I see when he's going to be on...

Plus the dates have all been added to the forum's calendar and display on it as well as on the forum's main page on the day of each appearance. 

[Nancy]

Regarding the comedic aspects, it seems that it works far better here than was Dan Curtis tried in his '91 remake - making Willie Loomis a doofus, as opposed to the tormented soul portrayed by in the original, fell flat.  His "aw, shucks, Mr. Barnabas" approach was simply annoying.

It was annoying.  From a writer's standpoint, I felt the way Willie was written sucked a lot of dramatic potential right out of the series.  Barnabas-Willie-Julia was a powerful combination of characters in the original.  I didn't see how the 91 characterization of Willie offered anything vital to the story at all.
All it did was showcase what a wonderful actor Jim Fyfe is but after awhile, only his mother would care about that.

I see so much of the original in the clips from this movie.  I see a re-working of the original (especially with Angelique becoming a composite of herself, Burk Devlin and a bit of Laura Collins) simply brilliant.  Having Elizabeth Collins Stoddard being more of "let's do what it takes to get them and make us rise again" character, rather than the equally fantastic "I've-got-a-secret-and-it's-destroying-me" character is also incredible.  "Younging" Carolyn Collins Stoddard by four years into a morose 15-year-old with a sassy mouth is wonderful, while the original 19-year-old "my-life-stinks" was a brilliant character portrayal.  It even seems to me that Vicki has been upgraded.

Exactly.  I wasn't sure at first about the "younging" of Carolyn but now I see the wisdom in doing that for this movie.  I have no problem even seeing Joan Bennett's Elizabeth ready and able to kick some ass if she wanted to do so.  She was elegant but she was tough too.

It's all good.  But what was good before does not necessarily work anymore.

It's obvious from Dan Curtis' involvement with the 91 revival he was open to taking the original concept into new directions.   

In his Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine interview recently, Jonathan Frid said that the Depp/Burton film should be different than the original.  When asked what advice he would give Johnny Depp on playing Barnabas, Frid said that he would not presume to tell Depp what to do.  It's sorta weird how proprietary some fans feel about the original series, and Barnabas, yet the man who created the role and played it for several years didn't feel he owned the role.  He felt the same when the 1991 series was on - a new take was in order.

[ProfStokes]

To me, the issue of whether the movie should be humorous or not is reminiscent of the debate over who gets to use the N-word.  If you're a member of the in-group, it's OK, but if an outsider does it, it's an insult. 

When fans present humorous interpertations of DS at Festivals or by creating videos to share, it's a sign of endearment.  We know our show isn't perfect and we use humor to illustrate its shortcomings, but deep down, we love DS anyway.  The important distinction is that these representations are created by fans (who have a detailed understanding of the material and a fondness for it) for the consumption of fans (who share that understanding).  I adore Richard Halpern's "Baby Dark Shadows" videos, but I would never present them to a non-fan friend as if they were "Dark Shadows."  I agree with PennyDreadful that Depp and Burton did not do the fanbase any favors by making their movie a comedy.  This big name Hollywood blockbuster is likely going to be the only representation of DS that a mainstream audeince will ever know.  I feel deeply uncomfortable when I think of all the people around the world who will be watching Depp's buffoonish antics and thinking that this is who Barnabas Collins is and that this is what DS is really all about.

Why should I care about any of this? 

Recently, I realized something curious: some of the most vocal critics/skeptics of the movie (e.g., VictoriaWinters1991, PennyDreadful, and myself) are second generation fans--people who were not around for the original broadcast and discovered the show in reruns.  I would have expected the original fans to be the most resistant to the idea of a reimagining.  After all, they've had the show longer than us; they started out the gate with DS and have followed its highs and lows, every step of the way.  We're coming late to the party.  Why should we care so much?  Wondering about this caused me to examine my own reasons for why I have such a knee-jerk negative reaction to Dark Shadows the comedy.

Unlike original fans who watched the show when it was popular and a big part of the culture, and who most likely had many friends with whom they could discuss DS or act out favorite scenes, I was the only person I knew who knew anything about DS as I grew up.  Nobody ever understood what I was talking about. None of my friends had heard of the show before and couldn't share it with me because they didn't have access to the Sci-Fi Channel.   Until I discovered online forums like the Vantagenet board that was the previous incarnation of the DS Forums, I felt very much alone in my enjoyment of the show. 

Now, DS is about to go viral. Posters are all over town, features are appearing on the news, and DS is about to become a household name again.  However, the "Dark Shadows" that everyone will soon be talking about is so radically different from the DS that I love, that I'm still going to feel like an outsider.  People still won't understand what I mean when I refer to DS because we will be talking about two totally different animals. That makes me feel sad, disappointed, and a little bitter about what I consider a missed opportunity for the product I love to go public. I don't know if the other second generation fans feel the same way (I know Taeylor is also a second generation fan and he's one of the movie's biggest cheerleaders, so maybe this trend only exists in my own head), but that's my stake in this business.

ProfStokes

[Taeylor Collins]

Yes I am a big cheerleader of the movie at the same time though;  I am big cheerleader of anything DS. If I hate the movie though I will be forth coming about it.

My hope is that this DS will make people curious to check out the original and the Revival.  It just seems (to me) that if a young 13 year boy (at the time) like me could watch the lavish Revival and then go to the original which wasn't so lavish and fall in love with the show; it could happen again after people see the movie.  Again, eight of my friends knew of my love for DS but wouldn't watch it.  Now they all want to watch the movie and then are planning on watching parties (in my hometown) of the original.

That is one of my biggest arguments.  I think this will spike a lot of interest in the original and a lot of people old and young will  fall in love with the original much like I did. That is my fervent hope.

I respect and value your opinion though Prof Stokes as we all are entitled to our own!   Hugs to you girlfriend. I miss you!

Tae

[Midnite]

Thank you for the summary, Miranda.  I just watched it, having DVR'd it after a tiring day.

Actually, I do believe Roger was looking for a lot more than liquor.    But I won't spoil things for anyone else such as yourself who didn't figure it out...

There's a huge clue in his bio on the Meet the Residents of Collinwood page of the official site.  (There are character-defining images with most descriptions, such as the record player for Carolyn or Angelique's cherry red convertible, but please don't look at Roger's you don't want it spoiled.)

Fascinating comments, ProfStokes!  I'm still very psyched for the movie but yesterday I had an oh no they didn't moment when one of the entertainment shows used the c-word for the first time-- that I recall, anyway-- while discussing it.  Of course I mean "campy", and it hit me that if it's used now, then will the original series never lose that label?

[Nancy]

I suppose the reason I am open to a new interpretation is that I don't see it as causing any harm.  The love of the original survived an awful, radical take on the series that was called HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS.  It survived years of being in syndication here and there with few viewers ever having seen the entire series, it has survived some sustained, nasty put-downs over the years - the original has survived it all with an audience in tact.  The 1991 series brought in new fans in spite of the fact many of its characters were very different than the ones in the original series. 

And quite honestly, the earth will not fall off its axis if thousands of people think Barnabas Collins is a buffoon. The original has survived much in the past four decades and it will survive this.  Those who may flock to this and/or other boards and groups to talk about DS will discover something more to the legacy and be told about previous incarnations.  Hopefully, those people will be open-minded in viewing the original and 1991 Revival.

Please don't read this as putting down your concerns, Prof. Stokes - I am just offering an answer as to why some of the older generation are not alarmed about the potential consequences of the movie.

Bottom line -  I really don't care what anyone thinks about the Barnabas Collins I grew up enjoying; the same is true for the original series.   And for that reason, what anyone thinks of the Depp portrayal of the character is meaningless to me.

Recently, I realized something curious: some of the most vocal critics/skeptics of the movie (e.g., VictoriaWinters1991, PennyDreadful, and myself) are second generation fans--people who were not around for the original broadcast and discovered the show in reruns.  I would have expected the original fans to be the most resistant to the idea of a reimagining.  After all, they've had the show longer than us; they started out the gate with DS and have followed its highs and lows, every step of the way.  We're coming late to the party. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

There's a huge clue in his bio on the Meet the Residents of Collinwood page of the official site.  (There are character-defining images with most descriptions, such as the record player for Carolyn or Angelique's cherry red convertible, but please don't look at Roger's you don't want it spoiled.)

Even without the bio (which I haven't read) it's possible to deduce what Roger is looking for from just having seen glimpses of that scene on the entertainment shows along with clips/photos from other scenes and, well, just knowing what sort of character Roger is.    In fact, soon after we learned that in the film Barnabas wasn't sealed in the secret room of the mausoleum, I made a comment that quite possibly part of the reason they decided that that wouldn't fly this time around might be because of Roger.

I had an oh no they didn't moment when one of the entertainment shows used the c-word for the first time-- that I recall, anyway-- while discussing it.  Of course I mean "campy", and it hit me that if it's used now, then will the original series never lose that label?

Sadly, even without the new film, the original DS will never lose that label.    It got attached to the show in the '70s, and in the ensuing 40+years I seriously doubt even one year has gone by that it hasn't been described that way - especially in print. So, it's no wonder it continues to be the description of choice of nearly every writer and TV host.    And I've come to the realization that it's never going to change.

9 days 10 hours 5 minutes 0 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I want to chime in and say that I totally understand your point, ProfStokes.  DS fans are very much like Barnabas.  Many feel isolated and alone...  Except their problem isn't vampirism (Okay, that's a generalization).  They feel alone in their love for our show.  And the movie doesn't seem to accurately convey what our show is about.  But, like Taeylor said, maybe it will introduce more people to the original.  We really don't know what the full effects will be for some time.  I just hope Nancy is right, and that it doesn't cause much damage, thus isolating DS fans further. 

And Midnite, I looked at the site, and I am fairly sure I have figured it out.  Roger is looking for his belt buckle!   

[Midnite]

LOL, Cousin Barnabas!

Ultimate ‘Dark Shadows’ fan frets about upcoming movie about our Bobubas

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Fans will be interested to hear that DS movie executive producer Graham King reported at the BritWeek Film & TV Summit in Los Angeles on April 27 that there already is talk of a potential DS sequel film.

How very interesting. 

9 days 9 hours 20 minutes 14 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[borgosi]

I was thinking about something today. I think we would all say that Mr. Frid saved the OS way back when.

I've noticed that on Facebook and other sites fans who said they wouldn't see the new movie and now saying they will go because it is Mr. Frid's last film.

Could it be that just as he saved the OS he may now save the movie. Could those fans that were not going to see it put it over the top?

Just a thought.

I hope it didn't come across as disrepectful, I didn't mean for to.

[Sara Monster]

That would be a nice turn of

I was thinking about something today. I think we would all say that Mr. Frid saved the OS way back when.

I've noticed that on Facebook and other sites fans who said they wouldn't see the new movie and now saying they will go because it is Mr. Frid's last film.

Could it be that just as he saved the OS he may now save the movie. Could those fans that were not going to see it put it over the top?

Just a thought.

That would be a nice turn of events.

Despite whether I will end up liking the movie or not, I hope it will be a success. I'd like for others to discover the other versions of DS & that it will continue to live on, through sequels, spinoffs or whatever should come about.

Was this tv spot video linked to yet?
http://www.facebook.com/groups/190716234316441/#!/photo.php?v=442713782421368

[Taeylor Collins]

Fans will be interested to hear that DS movie executive producer Graham King reported at the BritWeek Film & TV Summit in Los Angeles on April 27 that there already is talk of a potential DS sequel film.

How very interesting. 

The Entertainment God is listening to me.   My prayers are being answered!!!  WHOOO HOOO!

Can I say the Prologue is one of my favorite pieces of music and I am glad Ellfman that classic part in!! LOVE IT!

[Brandon Collins]

I've been rewatching the TV spots lately, and I wondered about something: Does anyone think that these spots alone could sell the movie well enough to get people to go see it?

What I mean by this is the following:

I, of course, having been a fan of the original DS and wanting new DS stuff all the time, would see the movie pretty much regardless of who made it, starred in it, etc. And because I have the knowledge of what DS is about and the major driving plot points we've come to know over the years, the TV spots that have been airing are not confusing to me in the least.

However, just for a moment today I tried to put aside my previous knowledge of the source material and view these commercials as a naive viewer who is just being introduced into the world of Dark Shadows. Barring the fact that Burton is directing, and barring the fact that I like many of the stars, I'm not sure that I would want to see this movie because the supremely condensed trailers tell me little more than the following: there's a vampire, there's a witch, there's some other people, and they all fight. Now, if on the basis of that description alone, anyone would want to go see the film--fine. I doubt seriously that it would happen that way. In fact, what I think actually may be going on is that the naive viewer may be more confused by the film than anything else, and would be lured into going to the theater based on the simple notion that they want some questions answered.

This, of course, allows for the fact that mere confusion over something you see on television would motivate a person to take action enough to leave their home and spend cash to find the answers to their questions--for some people it may be this way, for me it is not. More than likely I would simply get annoyed with the commercials after a while and would simply forget about the film altogether after they stopped airing.

The full length trailer does a good job of giving a better overview of the film in its entirety--this is what would make me want to actually see the movie.

All of this jibber-jabber really only serves to highlight the fact that the studio is pretty much BANKING on the names involved with the films, and the built in fanbase surrounding those names. Burton. Depp. Separate they are powerful but together they create what could be likened to the feeling that Vicki gets when she first arrives at Collinwood--she was drawn there. Not to mention Pfeiffer who is, in no short order, a box office draw--add in Moretz for the youth crowd and you have a good chance of making some serious dough, despite the fact that the film is up against what is probably the biggest superhero movie of all time--The Avengers (that is, until The Dark Knight Returns comes out).

It's funny that I'm just now realizing how poorly marketed this film is in terms of the TV spots we've been getting. They pretty much solidly rely on the viewer having seen the full length trailer at some point, or confusing (re: intriguing?) the viewer enough to seek out said trailer for more answers.