Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

Dark Shadows

3/19/11 - New image released

2/15/11 – Variety reported that Warner Bros. is in talks with Michelle Pfeiffer to join the cast of Dark Shadows.  Pfeiffer would portray Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, a matriarchal role played by Joan Bennett in the supernatural TV soap opera during its run from 1966 to1971.  Johnny Depp has long been attached to play the vampire Barnabas Collins while Bella Heathcote would play a waitress who resembles Collins' long-lost love and Eva Green will portray the temptress Angelique.

2/2/11 – Variety reported that Dark Shadows may finally move into production.  Bella Heathcote is in talks for the female lead opposite Johnny Depp.  Dark Shadows is based on the 1960s supernatural TV soap opera that followed the life of Barnabas Collins, a vampire who's forced to deal with all sorts of monsters, ghosts and other supernatural creatures. Heathcote would play a local waitress, whom Collins takes a shine to because of her resemblance to his long-lost love.  Seth Grahame-Smith has penned the script, and Depp, Graham King, Richard Zanuck, Christi Dembrowski and David Kennedy are producing. Production starts this spring with a release date set for sometime in 2012.  Tim Burton will direct.

11/4/10 - Johnny Depp's next movie will reunite him with director Tim Burton for a big-screen incarnation of the gothic vampire TV soap opera Dark Shadows, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Warner Bros. has set an April start. Depp will portray Barnabas Collins, a vampire living in a Maine manor who is searching for his lost love.

12/7/09 – SCIFI Wire reported that director Tim Burton and star Johnny Depp are making a feature film version of the classic 1960s gothic TV soap opera Dark Shadows, and producer Graham King now confirms that the film will shoot in the fall, with Depp to play broody vampire Barnabas Collins.  "We're actually going to shoot that film next September/October with Tim Burton and Johnny," King said.  King is already prepping production on Dark Shadows with screenwriters so that it is ready for Burton to shoot next fall.  "We've been working on the script a lot, even though he's working on Alice," King continued. "We've been given a script. John August wrote the first screenplay. We're making some changes, but the film's going to be in production, as I say, September or October of next year."  Dark Shadows was a daytime soap opera on ABC from 1966 to 1971 featuring Jonathan Frid as Collins.

1/22/09 - John August, who is a frequent collaborator of Tim Burton, is currently writing Dark Shadows for Warner Brothers.

06/02/08 - Tim Burton will direct and John August will write the feature-film adaptation of the 1960s TV soap opera Dark Shadows for Johnny Depp's Infinitum-Nihil and Graham King's GK Films.

07/30/07 - Dark Shadows, the 1960s vampire soap opera, will be coming to theatres soon.  Johnny Depp will star in the film.  No release dates yet.

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