Originally a gothic horror soap opera, that aired on TV back in the 1960s, Dark Shadows is now getting the movie treatment, and will be coming to the big-screen courtesy of a man who’s well known for being both a fan of gothic works, and himself a master of the macabre; Tim Burton.
Burton; who’s currently directing a remake of Frankenweenie (which is a remake of the 1984 picture he directed; that got him fired from Disney, after executives deemed it was too scary for young audiences), but possibly best known for reinventing Batman (in 1989) and bringing a number of gothic themed tragedies to screen (including Edward Scissorhands, and Sleepy Hollow); will be directing the new film based on the classic series; which has been scripted by Seth Grahame-Smith (the scribe behind the upcoming, Burton produced, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter).
Long-time Burton collaborator Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) is attached to play the role of vampire Barnabas Collins; a role that helped the original series become hugely popular, and a character that Depp himself was so obsessed with as a child, he claimed he wanted to be Barnabas.
One of Barnabas’ defining features was his love/hate relationship with a powerful witch named Angelique; a character which will become the female lead in the upcoming movie, has now been officially cast, with Bond Girl Eva Green (who’s best known for her appearance as Vesper Lynd in 2006‘s Casino Royale) taking the role, and will be constantly tormented and bewitched by her feelings for the lovable vampire.
With much of the plot still unconfirmed, there’s no telling just how much of the show’s supernatural elements (which included ghosts, werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, time travel, warlocks, and a parallel universe) will make it into the final production; which Warner Bros. hope to start shooting within the next few months (in order to avoid a huge delay; owing to Depp’s crowded schedule), and release Dark Shadows sometime in 2012.
