Johnny Depp's Dark Shadows Film

[QuasarVM]

Geez Louise! The one film I want Burton and Depp to make is Dark Shadows (they own the rights)...and they keep putting it off for all kinds of silliness. After every film that comes out, they say DS is next...and then they announce some other film they are making that has an earlier release date...???!!!

 

[Klaus]

I'm a huge DS fan and was also looking forward to this... maybe I'll live long enough.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I want a Dark Shadows TV show, dammit! Save us from the plague of emo angst teenage vamps.

Maybe after the movie, but they'd have to recast Barnabas and any other actor who wouldn't be caught dead on TV.

For TV's Barnabas I want....Lee Pace! (I have this hunch that he could play a kick-ass "villainous" or darkish character.)

 

[Joy]

Ooo... Lee Pace as a vampire? HOTT.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Ooo... Lee Pace as a vampire? HOTT.

Yes. Vampires should be tall. Too many of those teen vamps are little squirts.

 

[QuasarVM]

I want a Dark Shadows TV show, dammit! Save us from the plague of emo angst teenage vamps.

Maybe after the movie, but they'd have to recast Barnabas and any other actor who wouldn't be caught dead on TV.

For TV's Barnabas I want....Lee Pace! (I have this hunch that he could play a kick-ass "villainous" or darkish character.)

I'd like to see it back on TV as well. They made a pilot for a new series a few years ago, but it never went anywhere...and was never aired...

I think Depp will do a great job as Barnabas and will ensure the film is true to the TV series as he's a lifelong fan.

 

[auntiehill]

I don't know about Depp as Barnabas. He's much better at lighter, more humorous characters. Even when he's playing dark and evil, he just doesn't have the same sense of mystery or menace. I loved the old Dark Shadows when I was kid, so a remake makes me a little uneasy. It's always tough when I try to picture some Hollywood star playing Barnabas.

Actually, I think Ian McShane would make a good Barnabas. He's not very tall, but good GOD, that man has a presence that fills the bloody room (er....so to speak). Plus, be can be both brutally animalistic as well as dignified and classy.

 

[Jan]

Dark Shadows seems to be one of those properties that can be endlessly reimagined. I loved the show as a kid, hated the feature films (especially the first one) and adored the '90s remake.

More DS would be good.

 

[Forbin]

I enjoyed the hell outta the 90s remake too. I wish Joanna Going had done more TV, she was just astionishingly beautiful.

Of course they ended the season on a cliffhanger and cancelled it. Sheesh.

 

[QuasarVM]

Dark Shadows seems to be one of those properties that can be endlessly reimagined. I loved the show as a kid, hated the feature films (especially the first one) and adored the '90s remake.

More DS would be good.

The first film was just a retelling of the first year of the soap -- with a bigger budget for film. I didn't like they fact they killed off the cast though...that was dumb.

The second one was a complete disaster in my opinion. They didn't do justice to any of the characters -- especially Angelique. It was ridiculous to make a movie about Angelique and not have Barnabas in it -- but, with the way they did House of Dark Shadows, I supposed they had little choice if they were determined to make a film with Angelique.

I enjoyed the 90's version as well...and I agree Joanna Going had a lot "going" on... But, typical of the big networks, it was never given a chance and was preempted quite often if I recall correctly...

Should have been syndicated like TNG...

 

[ClayinCA]

Oh man, I loved the 90s version. Ben Cross made such a wonderful Barnabas, and Joanna Going was indeed wonderful as Victoria Winters. I have often wished there was some kind of follow-up on the chronology of that version of the series (there was a comic-book version from the late Innovation Comics, but it didn't last long and wasn't a "continuation" anyway).

 

[Jan]

The first film was just a retelling of the first year of the soap -- with a bigger budget for film. I didn't like they fact they killed off the cast though...that was dumb.

Yeah, and they pretty much made Barnabas an animal without a conscience, exactly what made him likeable in the soap.

The second one was a complete disaster in my opinion. They didn't do justice to any of the characters -- especially Angelique. It was ridiculous to make a movie about Angelique and not have Barnabas in it -- but, with the way they did House of Dark Shadows, I supposed they had little choice if they were determined to make a film with Angelique.

They didn't have many characters left to play with. I gather that there were some major cuts for time which hurt the story a lot.

I enjoyed the 90's version as well...and I agree Joanna Going had a lot "going" on... But, typical of the big networks, it was never given a chance and was preempted quite often if I recall correctly...

Yeah, right about the time it started we got into Gulf War I so there were lots of breaks and pre-emptions.

The only character in the '90s remake that I didn't care for the portrayal was Lisette Anthony's Angelique. IMO, she just played Angelique as evil, without any redeeming characteristics...and she didn't have Lara Parker's entrancing laugh.

Jan

 

[Forbin]

I agree, kinda. Lisette was such a waifish girl too, compared to Lara Parker's rather extraordinary bodaciousness.

Yes, I'm a pig, and I'm proud.

 

[QuasarVM]

The first film was just a retelling of the first year of the soap -- with a bigger budget for film. I didn't like they fact they killed off the cast though...that was dumb.

Yeah, and they pretty much made Barnabas an animal without a conscience, exactly what made him likeable in the soap.

The second one was a complete disaster in my opinion. They didn't do justice to any of the characters -- especially Angelique. It was ridiculous to make a movie about Angelique and not have Barnabas in it -- but, with the way they did House of Dark Shadows, I supposed they had little choice if they were determined to make a film with Angelique.

They didn't have many characters left to play with. I gather that there were some major cuts for time which hurt the story a lot.

I enjoyed the 90's version as well...and I agree Joanna Going had a lot "going" on... But, typical of the big networks, it was never given a chance and was preempted quite often if I recall correctly...

Yeah, right about the time it started we got into Gulf War I so there were lots of breaks and pre-emptions.

The only character in the '90s remake that I didn't care for the portrayal was Lisette Anthony's Angelique. IMO, she just played Angelique as evil, without any redeeming characteristics...and she didn't have Lara Parker's entrancing laugh.

Jan

I can't think of anyone who could do a better job with that role than Lara Parker did. Then again, she was my first TV crush, so I'm a little biased...

But, she was outstanding in that role. She owned it.

Lisette didn't really ever have a chance...and the French accent got on my nerves...

 

[Greg Cox]

So who do you fancy as Angelique in the new movie?

 

[QuasarVM]

So who do you fancy as Angelique in the new movie?

That's a tough call...really haven't thought of it much, but let's hope Angelique is in the new film. Hopefully, they won't just remake House of Dark Shadows -- or year one of the soap. I really think DS hit it's stride and was at it's best when they went back to 1795 to show how Barnabas became a vampire. That was great stuff. I almost wish they'd set the new film in 1795.

I always thought it would've been interesting to have Angelique show up shortly after Barnabas is freed from the coffin in the 20th century to torment him or prevent Dr. Hoffman from curing him. That would have been in keeping with the later episodes...but that's all in hindsight since the Angelique character had not been written that point. But it could be written that way now...and I hope they do. They could have done something like that with "House"...but I'm not sure why they didn't.

Truthfully, I can't think of any current actresses that I think would be good in the role...can you?

Filling Lara Parker's shoes is a pretty big task...

 

[RJDiogenes]

I loved Dark Shadows back in the day-- and the 90s revival was certainly well done and well cast-- but I always prefer continuations to remakes. I'd like to see what's going on in Collinsport forty years later. Johnny Depp can play a new character.

 

[Greg Cox]

There's no market for a continuation. That was over forty years ago. Nobody but us old coots remembers how the old series ended, or what it was actually about. You need a movie that everybody can enjoy, not just hardcore fans with good memories!

 

[QuasarVM]

There's no market for a continuation. That was over forty years ago. Nobody but us old coots remembers how the old series ended, or what it was actually about. You need a movie that everybody can enjoy, not just hardcore fans with good memories!

Exactly!

Well, the old series actually ended in parallel time 1845 or something like that. Jonathan Frid played a character called Bramwell and Barnabas wasn't even in it at that point. He was last seen returning to "present day" 1971 or 72. That show was great. They used time travel quite a bit.

With a new film or series they'll have to start over...but where? 1795 or present day (showing the origin of Barnabas)? Or...you know what would be cool would be to set it in the 60s (at least for the "resurrection and arrival at Collinwood" sequence). I doubt they would do anything that cool though...

 

[Greg Cox]

I gotta admit: the challenge is going to be making Barnaba's introduction fresh again, after it's already been filmed at least three times already! (Not counting the CW remake that never aired.)

Then again, most of the intended audience has never seen the older versions, so it will be all new to them!