Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

Wow.  If what they wrote is true, it sounds as if Tim Burton has become a crazed beret-wearing, riding-crop wielding, pencil-moustached, perpetually irate mad director along the lines of Z. Z. von Schnerk in the legendary Avengers episode, "Epic."

It sounds more to me like cheap taradiddle that may have a partial basis in fact (e. g. the fact that Helena is watching the DVDs may be something she decided to do on her own account, and her stories about them may have made other cast members want to watch too; this then gets twisted into Tim and Johnny demanding that EVERYONE watch the DVDs of the old show).  It's obviously being posted on IMDB to discredit the director and the project, or at the very least to make both look ridiculous.  I wouldn't waste any time pursuing it further.

Just my two drachmae...

G.

Tim Burton has become a crazed beret-wearing, riding-crop wielding, pencil-moustached, perpetually irate mad director along the lines of Z. Z. von Schner

G, yes, I totally think it is blown out of proportion, especially the part you mentioned about Tim forcing the cast to watch the old show.  But I really do wonder where some of this information is being derived from, especially the part about Burton following the direction of Curtis and Curtis drawing up plans for Collinwood.  It would be fascinating if it were  based in some truth...

I totally think it is blown out of proportion, especially the part you mentioned about Tim forcing the cast to watch the old show.

But if they are watching the old show, they might include some of the classic moments. Fly's, stage hands, Barnabas Cousins and the mike booms. Maybe that will be in the gag real.

This certainly makes for an interesting Collinwood:

George_________ George Caltsoudas
Dark Shadows: My Own Collinwood http://caltsoudas.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-own-collinwood.html?spref=tw
28 Aug

255 days 10 hours 22 minutes 53 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

This Italian Johnny Depp site shares an Italian magazine article about Thomas McDonell:

DEPPendents DEPPendents Italia
Dark Shadows.CIOé.Magazine http://johnnydepp.forumcommunity.net/?t=47501241
1 hour ago
(Click on "SPOILER (clicca per visualizzare)")

If you read Italian, it might be interesting.  


And in this Alice Cooper mentions doing DS: Alice Cooper Returns with a New "Nightmare"

255 days 6 hours 59 minutes 28 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

Hmmm - I wonder if this will turn out to be anything interesting:

THISISMAXONLINE MAX
By the way all you @ChloeGMoretz fans the lil cheeky cutie will be back on my show next Sunday on Choice, we have a surprise sshhh x
27 Aug

And if it does, hopefully someone will put it up online.

255 days 4 hours 53 minutes 8 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

George Caltsoudas' design is going to be taken by someone else, placed on a poster and sold on Ebay as Stuart's design was. Caltsouda has an interesting design of Collinwood. I look forward to seeing his completed design.

Seth Grahame-Smith was born in 1976. While that doesn't keep him from being a fan it does suggest he didn't watch it growing up. At least not in it's original run.

Good point, Borgosi.

Well, according to this post, we now know what David does in the show:

David Selby Filmed Cameo For New DS Film!

In the video, he says, "I don't say anything.  Oh, I say 'Delighted to be here.'  But it's sort of like the old children's book 'Where's Waldo?'"

Brumley451 shane-brumley ward
I really hope that they make Roger Collins in the dark shadows movie have homosexual leanings. Lou Edmonds would be proud. #darkshadows
13 hours ago

I believe she is the first extra to get this much social media coverage.  Fascinating...

Those two tweets the other day were nothing because today there are dozens of tweets about Hannah Murray joining the DS film's cast. And as you say, fascinating. But as I said, it's all probably because people (especially people in Europe) know who she is.

254 days 13 hours 57 minutes 28 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

There is a "facts" list on the IMDB message boards which include this little tidbit.  I have no idea where this information has come from.

"Burton fired John August off the project when he found out John August was not a Dark Shadows fan and did now grow up watching the show as he and Depp had."

"Tim and Depp are obligating all non-Dark Shadows fans in the cast and crew to watch the DVDs. Helena (who did not grow up with the show) has been watching the DVDs between takes with Michelle Phifer."

"They've actually built a full scale Collinwood based on notes left by Dan Curtis. It's not Computer generated. They built the entire Collinwood mansion."

Anybody else read anything in relation to those first few bits of info anywhere?

Much of what we know from other sources would tend to dispute a lot of that. For instance:

We know for a fact that while he was working on his version of the script, John August had multiple meetings with both Burton and Depp over a period of like a year. In all that time it never once came up that August hadn't watched DS? Possible, but not very plausible. Plus, the notion that August was fired at all is in question in and of itself. As I've said, Seth Grahame-Smith has said all he did was tweak Barnabas' dialogue. But even if it's true that at some point after that interview Grahame-Smith wrote a whole new version of the script, August is still given story credit (along with Grahame-Smith) in the official WB Press Release. That doesn't seem like someone who's been fired.

I believe it was KLS who first mentioned that Helena Bonham Carter is watching the DVDs. However, it's certainly implied that she decided to watch them all on her own. And then Michelle Pfeiffer watched some with her. And now supposedly they're both hooked on the show. I don't recall any reports that any other members of the cast are watching the DVDs. And frankly, Burton would be a very strange director if he obligated the cast to watch them as most directors want their casts to bring their own interpretations to their roles - not give carbon-copied performances of what came before. Not to mention, I've yet to ever read an interview in which an actor working on a remake/reimagining has said they want to copy a previous performance. I can certainly see Burton mentioning that the cast might want to check out the DVDs to see things like tone/style of the show - but to obligate them? Hmmm...

As for them building an entire full scale Collinwood interior set, I don't know. We've been led to believe that the biggest indoor set for the film is the Gothic entrance hall of Collinwood, which is built on Pinewood's 007 Stage, the studio's biggest stage. As I've posted before, the dimensions of that stage are 374 ft. long, 158 ft. wide, and 41 ft. high. The entrance hall has been described as huge, but it would have to be humongous to take up most of that space! I've pretty much pictured something like the set for the '91 Series' entrance hall but on a somewhat grander scale. And that set did have rooms/corridors off of it, a grand staircase, and a second story landing. The film's version could easily have more rooms off of it, and even some second story rooms. But a full scale of the entire house? I don't know. And given how many stages the film is using at Pinewood, it would seem more logical that some of the other stages house other Collinwood rooms...

No one at IMDB has brought any of it into question.

I doubt they would because most posters over there don't seem to have been following the early development of the film all that closely - or even some of the current developments. I've read all sorts of comments over there that would not have been made if they were following closely.

It's probably best to approach much of what's on IMDb with a grain of salt - and I'm not just referring to what gets posted on the message board. For example, DC is credited with creating the DS characters - but we all know that Art Wallace did - and Wallace's estate has a court decision to back that up. But obviously whoever added that tidbit about DC isn't aware of that...

254 days 12 hours 38 minutes 16 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

In the video, he says, "I don't say anything.  Oh, I say 'Delighted to be here.'  But it's sort of like the old children's book 'Where's Waldo?'"

And that, along with ProfStokes' report -

A fan asked about the new movie.  KLS mentioned how she, Selby, Parker, and Frid had flown to London to film a cameo. "Do you remember a children's book called Where's Waldo??" Selby asked. "That's what our cameo is going to be like." Lara chimed in, "I know people will tell me, 'I watched that movie 75 times and I didn't see you at all.'"  Hearing that was disappointing. I had thought that the actors' cameos would at least be speaking roles. It sounds as if they're going to be part of a group scene as just faces in a crowd. What a waste! Why would Burton & Co. bring them all the way to London just to make them part of the scenery

- would seem to add even more confirmation to the idea that we've had that their cameos will be akin to something like Camilla Ashland's appearance as Mrs. Pettibone at the costume party in hoDS.

254 days 12 hours 11 minutes 33 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

GPocock1 George Pocock
Off to Pinewood for the first time in 8 years! Can't wait to see how different it is
5 hours ago

GPocock1
Wow. The set for Dark Shadows is in-f**king-credible. Breath taking.
4 hours ago


TrevorDMoretz trevor duke moretz
I can't wait for #darkshadowsmovie to come out next year, #burtonfans are gonna FLIP when u see it, I can't contain
2 hours ago


This exchange tells us pretty much what we already knew:

Kimmiejamms Kimberlee
@ChloeGMoretz Hi Chloe How was your day? Hope it's wonderful! Are you still doing Dark Shadows? Have a great time! ♥ xoxo
1 hour ago

Kimmiejamms Kimberlee
@RussTaylor622 Hi Hope you're having a nice day! x
1 hour ago

RussTaylor622 Russ Taylor
@Kimmiejamms Pretty good Kimmie ! Thank You ! They will be wrapping up Dark Shadows by the weekend Chloe's going back home Tuesday !
1 hour ago


And even more Hannah Murray tweets. You'd think she's a huge star given all the attention her casting is getting on Twitter.    Though it seems like she is quite popular in Europe...

254 days 9 hours 44 minutes 36 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

August is still given story credit (along with Grahame-Smith) in the official WB Press Release. That doesn't seem like someone who's been fired.
...
I can certainly see Burton mentioning that the cast might want to check out the DVDs to see things like tone/style of the show - but to obligate them? Hmmm...

As for them building an entire full scale Collinwood interior set, I don't know. We've been led to believe that the biggest indoor set for the film is the Gothic entrance hall of Collinwood, which is built on Pinewood's 007 Stage, the studio's biggest stage.

Thanks so much for the in-depth reply, MB.  

I am really interested in learning more about the script writing process.  Hopefully it will be revealed in the coming months.  I find it interesting that two authors worked on it - at completely different times.  While it's not unusual, it has me wondering about the reason in the case of DS.  As you said, the early reports indicate that Grahame-Smith just reworked Barnabas's dialogue.  However, in more recent reports, it seems to me as if Grahame-Smith has been getting most of the credit.  (Maybe it's just how I've interpreted it.)  It will be interesting to find out if the whole thing was re-worked or just the part we have confirmed about the Barnabas dialogue.    

As for the DVDs, someone mentioned over on IMDB that Burton had the original Ed Wood films available for cast and crew to watch while they were filming ED WOOD.  Perhaps this case is similar.  It would be bizarre to require it, though, as you said.  But, if some of the cast wanted to channel the likes of say... Grayson Hall and Joan Bennett, there would be zero complaints from me.  

Very good observations on the interior, MB.  What had me most interested about the set comment was the fact that this poster mentioned that Dan Curtis had renderings of what he'd like to see Collinwood look like and that Burton used them.  That popped out just like the statement the same poster made about Burton channeling Curtis's directing.  And I have seen no documentation for either of those "facts".

Turkey's release date:

AyawanLee pathricia lee ayawan
Dark Shadows Place & Date (Will be Released) Netherlands May 10 , Spain & USA May 11 Germany May 17 & Turkey May 18 ...
16 minutes ago

253 days 20 hours 57 minutes 18 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!