In the category of “you two again?” Johnny Depp and Tim Burton continue their Marvel Team-Up ongoing series with Dark Shadows.
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.
So Johnny Depp takes on a gothic supernatural series so it only makes sense that he would have his hetero lifemate Tim Burton tag along.
I am curious however that I am unfamiliar with this series considering that there were “numerous Tv revivals” and feature films attempted and I have yet to have heard of any of them. How could there be this many attempts to bring it back or adapt and still escape my notice?
Looking into it the tv revivals are talking mostly about syndication, all of which failed to show the entire run of the show’s impressive 1225 episodes. A couple attempts at a TV mini-series were made that didn’t come to pass. But Johnny Depp claims to have been a long time fan of the series and it was a childhood dream of his to play the vampire Barnabas Collins.
I have no doubt that Depp could play just about anything, however I am wary considering how little I have heard of this series (which ended before I was born) and its syndication.
I will be keeping an eye out for news of this.
These guys are beast together. Sweeney Todd, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpsebride. The only one I’ve seen that they did together that I didn’t find as great as everyone say was Edward Scissorhands. Other than that, these guys are a near-perfect team
My mother used to watch Dark Shadows as a child and when i as a teen got into vampires she introdueced me to it. It is old and campy, but wonderful. I am a huge Burton fan and I adore Depp. For me this movie will be the ultimate. Johnny Depp as a vampire, what more of a fantasy does a woman need.
“I am wary considering how little I have heard of this series”
Why should it matter in the least if you have never heard of the TV series?
i amd 30 and i have seen allthe episodes…my mom made me watch them when they where on sci fi then i dl the for her….i have to say this series is shit…i hated it 100% but my mom was the remote control hero of the time so i had no choice….any ways i didnt like it cause it was lame…slow…and bad acting..but the one thing it had was a cool set.
I will have to watch this film sounds half decent!!
You know im really starting to get tired of Tim Burton movies recently. The main reason is because he keeps hiring the same actors for the same level of characters i.e Johnny Depp as the lead character and Helen Carter as lead actress. So finding out they want to do another project together is begging the question when will they work with other ppl on other projects?
Actually it’s the other way around. Depp’s company is gonna produce the movies and they hired Burton to do it. But honestly I don’t think of any other director who could create a fantasy world better than him.
oh man i loved the original dark shadows.
it was so cheezy great.
the boom mikes were always showing up in the scenes and crazy shit like that.
barnabas was always drunk off his ass and dr julia could never remember her lines. :D
lulz all around.
the movies are all kinds of 1970 schlocktastic.
i cant wait to see what burton/depp do with it.
I was hooked in the short lived 91 revival…with Ben Cross as Barnabas Collins. I also thought Joanna Going was super hot.
I still do.
You’re likely too young to remember it. The last attempt to revive it lasted about a season in 1991. I absolutely loved it, and I watched it religiously with my mom who was a complete addict for the original show. But that was basically the first and last I heard of it in my lifetime.
Back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s it was a staple of the late night Sci-Fi line-up when they used to just chock the channel full of really fabulous old re-runs.
Since my mom loved the show so much she actually named one of her children after a character (no, not Barnabus) I have a lot of memories of it. And I am not really happy to hear about the adaptation, because I just don’t think it’s going to come out right. But then, maybe I’m still smarting from Planet of the Apes.