Johnny Depp and Tim Burton
Who says “chick lit” doesn’t have teeth? Vampires are huge right now, not only in novels, but in a really big outbreak of movie and TV adaptations. And the biggest may be yet to come. Johnny Depp recently confirmed at the LA premiere of Public Enemies that he and his frequent director Tim Burton will reunite for an upcoming feature film adaptation of the cult favorite daytime TV drama Dark Shadows. Depp is expected to play the role of the tortured vampire protagonist Barnabas Collins.
Frequent screenwriter for Tim Burton, John August (Big Fish, The Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), has confirmed that he’s set to write the screenplay for Dark Shadows. August has also stated that Depp will star and Tim Burton will direct.
Dark Shadows debuted as a gothic daytime soap on ABC in 1966. Initially, the show had no supernatural elements. It was not highly rated and seemed destined for early cancellation. A plotline featuring the character Barnabas Collins, from the “English” branch of family was introduced. Barnabas, played by Canadian actor Jonathan Frid, was in fact a vampire, newly freed from the coffin he’d been chained up in for some two hundred years. Barnabas sank his teeth into the fans’ affections and gave the show a badly needed infusion of new blood. Dark Shadows suddenly took off with young viewers to the point that it was moved from its morning timeslot to four PM, when kids could watch it after school. Comic book adaptations and bubble gum cards soon followed.
Although the show was cancelled in 1971, two feature film spin-offs, House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows, were produced in the early seventies starring members of the TV show cast. House of Dark Shadows, directed by series creator Dan Curtis, remains one of the most effective vampire movies ever made, with moody and atmospheric day-for-night cinematography. In 1991, NBC aired a weekly primetime remake of the show with a new cast. Although initially highly rated, the show’s momentum was probably disrupted by the outbreak of the Gulf War, and it was cancelled midseason.
The WB network produced a pilot for a new primetime version of Dark Shadows in 2004. The pilot was not aired publicly and the projected series did not materialize.
The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows movie would be riding the crest of a tidal wave of vampire themed movies and TV shows. Twilight, based on the first installment of Stephanie Meyers’ wildly popular novels was a huge hit. The trailer for the first sequel, New Moon, is already in theaters and has been making the internet rounds for awhile.
Moonlight, a CBS show about a vampire detective, has apparently been cancelled but internet discussion and blogging remains intense. Blood Ties, based on the novels by Tanya Huff, is about a female private investigator who teams up with a vampire. It is unclear if new episodes will be produced. The HBO series True Blood is based on the southern-set vampire novels of well-known mystery novelist Charlaine Harris. The Vampire Diaries, based on the novels by LJ Smith, will premiere on the CW network this fall. The series is co-created by Kevin Williamson of the Scream movies and Dawson’s Creek.
Virtually all of the current vampire projects are based on novels, and not only that, novels by women writers. This may explain the apparently huge popularity of these projects with women viewers. Stephanie Meyers seems to appeal to female readers from middle school age right through nursing home. Certainly, the actors playing the vampires in these movies and shows tend to be matinee idols, and Johnny Depp is no exception. And if a woman’s fantasy lover happened to the brooding, mysterious type, or a bad boy, vampires would seem ideal. The excellent historical vampire novels by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro have apparently not been acquired yet, although one can hope.
In any event, with book sales booming and Hollywood in a bidding frenzy, there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.
For more info:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/D/htmlD/darkshadows/darkshadows.htm
Comments
Blood Ties will not be filming new episodes. It wasn't picked up by the idiots at lifetime although they were besieged with letters, postcards, phone calls, etc. from the fans. Bet they wish they would have rethought that now. Of course the fans might consider forgiving them if they commissioned a movie of the week to give us closure.
Ok, I admit it. Dark Shadows scared the living daylights out of me. But I still watched. And the thought of Johnny Depp as Baranabas... oh, dear, I feel a swoon coming on.
Kudos Jim on a great article and fantastic interest builder. This picture can't get made fast enough!
I have fond memories of Dark Shadows. I appreciated learning more about the history. Thanks!
I remember hiding behind and peaking through the door crack watching the show after school. I have the record and a friend gave me a DVD of one season two years ago. Love it!! The movie was my first theater horror movie at age 9 or so.
SciFi used to air reruns of DARK SHADOWS, and Chiller seems to be rerunning the 1990s version - does anyone know if any station is currently rerunning the original?
You're right on the money about the mysterious brooding bad boy thing. And the phallic aspect of vampires, penetration and all, ought to speak for itself. Ouch.
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