By Edwin Pagán, for LATIN HORROR
Frequent collaborators Johnny Depp [ED WOOD, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN] and Tim Burton [BEETLEJUICE, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET] are at it again - keeping the net abuzz with talk of their next pending project: DARK SHADOWS.
Depp, who purchased the rights to the gothic-style soap opera back in 2007 and plans to develop the project via his production company, Infinitum Nihil, is set to star in the lead role of Barnabas Collins, a 175-year-old vampire (played by Jonathan Frid in the original series). Tim Burton, who is knee-deep on postproduction on ALICE IN WONDERLAND is anticipated to helm. The script is penned by John August [CORPSE BRIDE, BIG FISH, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, FRANKENWEENIE].
The project was first reported on the boards as going into production this coming summer (a rumor that gained steam when veteran producer Richard D. Zanuck dropped the tid-bit to entertainment portal Collider.com). But due to schedule overruns on WONDERLAND, and Depp's next big blockbuster, PUBLIC ENEMIES, gaining media attention, DARK SHADOWS is now more practically seen as kicking into gear proper in the fall. Both Depp and Burton, both big fans of the original series, have continued to assert that the project will go forward in 2009.
But while most are anticipating the magical Burton spin, some movie fans sites and blogs are also showing a growing discontent with the increasing trend of remaking time-tested classics in their "re-creator's" image. At hand is whether Burton can manage to keep the integrity of the original series that ran from 1966 - 1971 and ended its run with an amazing 1,225 episodes to its credit, as well as an enormous cult following (me included among them)! The original serial featured a heavy gothic horror feel and ran the gamut of monsters from vampires and werewolves to ghosts and zombies, and everything in between.
The question is: can 90-minutes or a 2-hour portal replicate the feel of the original? Hard to say. But Burton has successfully tackled other rooted material in the past and come out on top. I'm personally of the opinion that the original can never be destroyed. Even if Burton and Depp come up short -- hard to imagine -- the classic can always be purchased on DVD (http://www.darkshadowsdvd.com). But when you begin to consider the investment it would take to purchase an anthology comprising 1,225 episodes, you can bet that the fanboys/fangirls will keep their words on the net and money away from their mouths. Suddenly $12 for Burton seems much more within reach. Now harm, no foul.
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- LATIN HORROR
"Scaring up a Revolución"
