Can DS possibly come back from the dead one more time after diasterous Depp Film

[quentincollins]

what was however extremely obvious to me was that revealing Carolyn to be a werewolf in the film's last five minutes was a crude setup for a Quentin themed sequel...


one that may not even feature Barnabas.

Before I ever saw the movie, I was speculating that a Barnabas - free sequel focusing on Quentin would be an option, seeing as how Depp would be in demand and possibly unavailable for the sequel.
I also thought that with Victoria clearly to be paired with Barnabas and no Maggie cast, that perhaps Maggie could be brought into the sequel as a love intrest for Quentin.
Clearly I was wrong on the last part.
I'd still be all for a Quentin driven sequel. There's all kinds of potential for DS beyond Barnabas, but I'm not sure the studio would go for it.

[Gothick]

No matter how well (and how long!) the Burton-Depp Shadows redaction performed at the box office, I would bet you dollars to doughnuts that there are a lot of individuals walking around Tinseltown who, if the topic even ever comes up, angle their noses into the air and sniff, "Oh yeah, Dark shadows--another flop for Tim and Johnny."  As I've commented in a number of posts before (and I apologize for the repetition), there is a cabal in H'wood that wants Burton to fail.  I don't know what people think about Depp at this point (I saw a tabloid in the grocery store two days ago with a screaming headline about Depp "marrying" a very young looking woman who I presume is somebody other than his current wife--but I haven't been keeping up).  The Disney Lone Ranger thing looks as if it is already damaging Depp's credibility in certain circles even though the studio and Depp have done what they could to forestall such things.

I think a Shadows project focused around Quentin would be fabulous, particularly one set in the 1890s with a potential steampunk styling.  Meryl Streep would make a fabou Magda (see post in another board about Streep's Graysonesque appearance in August: Osage County). My personal choice would be Tom Hiddleston for Quentin--he's playing a vampire in the new Jarmusch film...

cheers, G.

[The Doctor and K9]

I didn't say Quentin wasn't an important character...

No you didn't, and I wasn't disagreeing with anything you said. What I meant was that the merchandising machine that was in place during the time of the OS made Quentin seem much more integral to DS than he was. In fact, "Quentin" was 5 different characters throughout the show and NODS, 6 if you count the ghost as another one. To people like me who saw the show once in a while when it was on and then read the books and comics, it didn't seem like DS wthout him. My opinion changed once I saw all of the series and realized he was not there in the begining and neither was BARNABAS?? That was a shock as well. I figured that out when I realized the first 5 books did not feature him. I got them irregularly through thrift shops and book sales. In 1976, Barnabas and Quentin were like Batman and Robin. You wouldn't do a Batman movie without Robin, would you?  OK that's another story. 

[Bob_the_Bartender]

As Gerard has pointed out, director Tim Burton did an especially fine job in highlighting the difficulty that the 18th century Barnabas encountered in adjusting to modern life, circa 1972.   

As I recall, the movie theater audience (including yours truly) roared with laughter as Barnabas fumbled his way in trying to deal with the advances of 20th century technology!   (Something the late, great Dan Curtis did not explore in either of his two DS programs as Gerard also previously mentioned in this thread.)

Perhaps as a mild criticism of the DS film, I found the final, climactic confrontation between Barnabas and Angelique to be somewhat "formulaic fx," like one of those later, so-so Star Trek films.

By the way, do you think that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton would even want to reprise the Dark Shadows saga in another film?  After all, we know how "well" the film "Night of Dark Shadows" was received after the release of the more successful "House of Dark Shadows."

Bob

[Patti Feinberg]

First as others have pointed out we have to rule out the possibility of a sequel. I would assume a decision on that will be made soon if it hasn't already. I just think at this point in time a new DS project will be a hard sell. How will the producers attempt to sell a "serious" DS project to a network for example when most people today only know it as a comedy?

What if, since Angelique were killed in the Depp movie, they focused on the many other characters of DS?
Quentin
Stokes
Mr. CHiPs
et alllllllllll

Patti

PS...having just re-watched 2012 DS last night again, [spoiler]don't forget that Dr. Hoffman is still, uh, 'alive-ish'[/spoiler]

[Robot_Quentin]

Superman Returns (2006) was considered a minor hit which underperformed. Yet here comes Man of Steel.
Dark Shadows will return to the screen as it always does.

Jeez, I'd forgotten about that movie! That movie just seemed like it was from some crazy alternate reality or something... And it definitely underwhelmed me at the time. I hadn't watched it since I saw it at the theater. But like you said, here comes the new one... Stranger things have happened I guess for Hollywood. Perhaps like the "U.S. Marshals" sequel to "The Fugitive" movie, DS could switch gears to its other cast to progress the story... (and maybe introduce some new ones!) Although I'm having a flashback of Three's Company when Chrissy calls back to the apartment to check on everybody (having already left the show)! Perhaps Barny could do the same in the sequel!!!     For the record, I'm sadly in the "no" camp for Depp Shadows.

[michael c]

after some of the scathing criticism they've received I very much doubt either burton or depp would want to dip their toes into this particular well again...


and even under more positive circumstances visually and creatively perhaps they've gotten it "out of their systems".

[Mysterious Benefactor]

after some of the scathing criticism they've received I very much doubt either burton or depp would want to dip their toes into this particular well again...

An interesting thing there, though, is that both claim not to pay attention to reviews. But then, who knows if they're being completely truthful about that? And if they aren't, while it's true that many reviews savaged the film, there were also many that were very complimentary of it. And that's not just when it comes to the ones that had snippets quoted in the TV ads or in the DVD/Blu-ray promotional materials. There were many others (including ones like the review in Entertainment Weekly), so if they did get wind of any of those complimentary reviews, one would think they were pleased by them. (Though speaking of those quoted reviews, it's quite fascinating that some still have yet to show up on that certain Web site that shall continue to be unnamed here. Makes one wonder just what their criteria is to pick and choose which reviews to include on their site and which ones not to? And obviously if those reviews haven't shown up yet, they're not about to at this point.)

and even under more positive circumstances visually and creatively perhaps they've gotten it "out of their systems".

Quite possibly. Even before the film opened Burton was making remarks about how he wasn't planning on a sequel. And after the film came out and ended as it does, he still said that despite the ending, a sequel didn't really enter his mind. He looked at the ending more as a tribute to DS' soap roots in which the story is continuing. But who knows?

The one thing I do suspect, though, is that if there were to ever be a sequel, whether rightly or wrongly, Seth Grahame-Smith most likely wouldn't be asked to write it. It's fascinating how he was the anointed darling of the media back in 2010 and 2011, popping up all over the place, but ever since the savage reviews (far worse than DS' worst) and true box office failure of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, he seems to have virtually disappeared (we don't even hear much about the potential Beetlejuice sequel, though it's supposedly still a go). But then, if I was Grahame-Smith, I suppose I would be keeping a fairly low profile too. 

[Robot_Quentin]

I saw where SGS will be penning the new "Gremlins" movie or reboot as it were. (Open hand, insert forehead...)

[MagnusTrask]

Traditionally, aren't sequels things that only get considered if there's a huge public clamoring for it?  I know Hollywood relies on sequels and remakes now, but I thought it still applied to some extent.  I mean, some people here seem to be saying a sequel might happen if there's just a moderate profit for the first one, as if they might go ahead with the second if it seems to be a just barely viable idea, something that they might profit in a small way with.

I think that if it's not a blockbuster, the executives count their blessings and move on quickly.  Only DS fans would still expect a sequel.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Traditionally, aren't sequels things that only get considered if there's a huge public clamoring for it?

Nope. These days sequels get made even for barely successful films. In fact, sometimes sequels go into production even before the first film even comes out and even after that first film wasn't even a box office success. And the logic behind the later seems to be the hope that the franchise will be successful in the DVD/Blu-ray market - even though quite often the franchise falls flat on its face and isn't successful in any way, shape, or form. But that doesn't always stop the studios from still trying...

However, it's not likely that any of that currently applies to the DS film because ShadowGram has already reported that there are no plans for a sequel.

[MagnusTrask]

Thanks for explaining that, MB.   I suppose the fact that they weren't already preparing for a sequel while making the first one should tell us something.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, Burton wasn't necessarily planning on a sequel - though there was talk of a possible sequel from producer Graham King. But who's to say who he'd spoken to before saying that or if it was purely his own speculation? 

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I saw where SGS will be penning the new "Gremlins" movie or reboot as it were. (Open hand, insert forehead...)

If SGS never wrote again, I would be content.  I am convinced that all of the great lines in the movie were penned by August.  Remember that SGS said there were certain parts of the script that he "couldn't touch" because they were so well-written?  I'd imagine that those were the lines that we all truly enjoyed.  After all, SGS earned his fame by taking the work of others and adding his own "touches," creating parodies more often than not.  I'd rather he not go near any other serious stories, though Gremlins may suit his unique style.  Who knows...

[KMR]

Well, Burton wasn't necessarily planning on a sequel - though there was talk of a possible sequel from producer Graham King. But who's to say who he'd spoken to before saying that or if it was purely his own speculation? 

It does seem that all the talk of a possible franchise came people other than the creative team. Who knows what all Depp's contracts with the Dan Curtis estate and WB entail. I suppose it's quite possible that WB has the rights to any sequels, with Depp and/or Burton having first right of refusal regarding any participation in the sequel. I think these things are all very complicated, especially when it comes to big names like those involved in DS. All that being said, I really doubt we'll see a theatrical sequel. A future TV series seems more likely. (What I'd really be interested in seeing is an opera--in a contemporary musical idiom, a la the through-sung Broadway musicals we've seen in the last few decades.)