Dark Shadows Envelop Johnny Depp, Drift Toward Tim Burton

Eric Ditzian confirmed on MTV Movies blog that a Dark Shadows movie based on the 1960s tv soap opera of the same name is still in the works with Johnny Depp featured in a starring role. An executive with Infinitum-Nihil, Depp's production company, confirmed that Depp is still connected to the project, hinted it might develop as a supernatural franchise, and waffled on whether Tim Burton will assume the role of director, Ditzian reported.

Dark Shadows was a popular afternoon tv show that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. Among the regular characters, Dark Shadows starred Jonathan Frid as the vampire Barnabas Collins, Grayson Hall as doctor Julia Hoffman, Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard, Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Alexandra Isles as Victoria Winters, Louis Edmonds as Roger Collins, Katherine Lee Scott as Maggie Evans, David Selby as Quentin Collins, David Hennessey as David Collins and Lara Parker as Angelique.

The Dark Shadows tv show was set in coastal Maine where eerie storms and looming cliffs provided the backdrop for one angst-ridden scene after another. The theme music by Robert Cobert alone was enough to raise neck hairs. You can listen to the Dark Shadows opening theme here,as well as some of the other memorable music from the series.

For those not old enough to remember Dark Shadows, kids rushed home from school to settle in and watch it for its 5 year run. The tv show plot spanned multiple generations and told the tale of 200 year old vampire Barnabas Collins.

Will a Dark Shadows movie be competitive with the new generation of gothic dramas? Although it was extremely popular during its short run, and fans were devastated at its end, those fans are now age 50 or so. For a Dark Shadows movie to be commercially viable today, it is going to have to reach a generation which gobbled up Anne Rice stories, views True Blood on HBO, and eagerly awaits the next Twilight movie. These fans are accustomed to dramatic special effects and gore at a level that was not only unheard of when Dark Shadows aired, it was entirely unnecessary. The series effectively communicated fear with imagery, music and acting.

If Dark Shadows is going to be updated, as seems inevitable, Tim Burton would be the perfect candidate to perform the task.

Sources: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/03/19/johnny-depps-dark-shadows-adaptation-very-activewith-tim-burton-directing/; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059978/fullcredits#cast; http://www.imeem.com/mega4ever/music/pj00Mt2C/abc-tv-dark-shadows-theme/