DarkShadows Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The big-screen remake of Dark Shadows has been kicking around Hollywood for how long now? But, every time we get close, something new comes up (talk about bad timing). Late last year, producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Heyman told Collider that Tim Burton would be lining up Shadows with Johnny Depp to start shooting this summer. But, the usually reliable Nikki Finke is reporting that Burton has started thinking about pushing back the start date of the vampire soap to this fall. According to Finke's sources, the cause for delay was that Burton's Alice in Wonderland was taking much longer to finish than anticipated, and with a 2010 release date around the corner, something had to go.

According to Finke, Burton has yet to broach the subject with WB about the delay, but it's not like Depp is going to go anywhere else, and Finke's source told her, "It is our intention to still start the movie in the fall. We're trying to work it out, and Tim Burton is Johnny's first and only choice to direct." Burton had signed on in June to direct the tale of Barnabas Collins with his muse/BFF taking the lead role. Both men are huge fans of the 60's soap about the supernatural goings on at the Collins Manor, and Depp has held the rights to the property through his production company (Infintrum Nihil).

Depp is also starting production on the Hunter S. Thompson adaptation, The Rum Diary, at the end of March. Originally, Burton had been scheduled to start Shadows in June, and then the date had been pushed back to August. But with all the buzz surrounding Public Enemies, I have a feeling Depp's schedule will be filling up pretty rapidly, and a summer start date for Shadows is starting to look more unlikely by the minute.

When it comes to Preacher stories, you have to check your enthusiasm and optimism at the gate -- it seems like it's closer to the big screen this time around, but plenty of names have been attached before, so take this story as you will.

We know Sam Mendes will only direct if he likes the script, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, that script now has someone to write it, as Tim Burton-favorite John August landed the tricky job of adapting the Garth Ennis series. So while he lost Shazam!, he gained Reverend Jesse Custer ... and I might be biased towards rebellious preachers who are good in a fight, but I think that's a pretty respectable trade off, don't you?

It's pretty nice to be August now, actually -- in addition to trying to officially attach Mendes, he's also been confirmed to write Burton's stop-motion remake of Frankenweenie , and he's writing the Dark Shadows remake for Burton and Johnny Depp.

Assuming Preacher goes forward from this point ... are August and Mendes the right men for the story? While both do solid work, they also strike me as a bit safe. Neither have ever tackled material as dark and twisted as Preacher. But I might be underestimating their talent for depravity, and the fact that they are "unconventional" picks as opposed to someone like Kevin Smith means this could work out in one of those perfect, fateful ways.

Looks like next month's Sundance Film Festival is offering four films that could accurately be labeled as "horror," which isn't a whole lot -- but of course it's all about quantity over quality. The quartet of creepy flicks are Paul Solet's Grace; Jonathan Liebesman's The Killing Room; Duncan Jones' Moon; and a Norwegian import called Dead Snow. All four sound intriguing enough, but I'm particularly looking forward to Grace and Moon, because I've been hearing stuff about both since, like, pre-production. Check out Dread Central for a handy little recap of these four movies, and of course keep your browser set to Cinematical once Sundance hits. Looks like it'll be Erik, James and myself causing all sorts of cinematic damage.

Shameless plug: Remember that British mini-series (I will forever call it a movie) that I raved about last week? Well, I penned a full review of Dead Set for my pals at FEARnet. Check it out. Plug for a pal: The gore-drenched Stacie Ponder recently tossed together a nifty horror-centric Amazon store, and I recommend it for purchases OR just as a solid little reference guide. Grab your PayPal debit card and click here. (I bought the Val Lewton box set and a new copy of Inside.) Doubly shameless plug: I sifted through almost ten years' worth of reviews, pulling only the horror ones. (Enjoy!)

One of history's biggest horror geeks, the ever-lovable Forrest J. Ackerman, died a few days ago at the awesome age of 92. (Good lord would I like to see nine decades' worth of new horror movies.) Known mainly for his stellar Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, Ackerman did what every horror fan would love to do: Spend a long career surrounded by his favorite creeps 'n' killers. Check out the AP report at Shock, and of course we send our condolences to Mr. Ackerman's family.

Recently on Cinematical: Erik takes a look at that Dead Snow flick, the first full Friday the 13th trailer hits the scene, and Tim Burton and Johnny Depp consider Dark Shadows.

Final tidbit: Photos, synopses, and a DVD cover for Feast 3: The Happy Finish. Bring it on!

Now before anyone gets too excited, keep in mind that when it comes to Dark Shadows on the big screen, nothing is ever a done deal. Over a year ago, the news surfaced that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton were putting their heads together to bring the 1960's TV series to the big screen. But, as we all know, a certain girl falling down a rabbit hole took priority. But, in a conversation with Yes Man producers, Richard D. Zanuck and David Heyman, Collider scored some news about the adaptation via 'Hollywood Royal', Mr. Zanuck. According to him, "Dark Shadows is going to be Tim's next project after Alice in Wonderland and they'll be shooting it next summer in London".

For those of you who might not remember the campy awesomeness that was Dark Shadows, here is a little primer: Shadows premiered back in 1966 and was considered a 'Gothic soap' that made the leap into the supernatural a few months into its run by adding werewolves, ghosts, zombies, and various other monsters, and most importantly, a vampire by the name of Barnabas Collins. Numerous TV revivals of the series and feature film adaptations have been attempted, but none have ever lasted despite the strong fan base for the 40-plus year old soap.

Both Depp and Burton are avowed Shadows fans, so it makes perfect sense that the duo would be reluctant to let the project fall by the wayside in spite of the delay. But, it is going to be no easy task to bring the soap onto the big screen, even with two die hard fans like Depp and Burton behind the wheel.

Sound off below and tell us if you would like to see Dark Shadows on the big screen...

It seems only natural that Johnny Depp would eventually want to play a vampire -- it wouldn't be the most eccentric in the long line of eccentric roles under his belt. And the actor, who just recently wrapped production on two big movies-- Sweeney Todd and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End -- may be just about ready to bite into that kind of part. Depp's production company Infinitum-Nihil and GK Films have just obtained the rights to and are currently developing a script for the film rendition of Dark Shadows. You may remember Dark Shadows as a 60s show that dealt with all things supernatural, including vampires, ghouls, zombies and more. One character, Barnabas Collins, sparked particular interest with Depp as a child -- he claims to have imagined playing the role on the big screen, so that's probably what we're in store for.

Dark Shadows was a success in the 60s and 70s and continues to have a cult following; according to Variety there have been many attempted adaptations of the series but none as serious as what Depp and his team are up to. If you've never seen an episode or want to refresh you Dark Shadows memory then you can visit their official site. And if you are really aching to be a part of the action then you can join the yearly convention -- that should take place this August. Until then, happy dreams of Johnny Depp sinking his teeth into your neck.