Monday, December 12, 2011

Dark Shadows Movie News Round-up

  • Michelle Pfieffer is already eager to reprise her role as Collinwood matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. Speaking to MTV, she says the Dark Shadows feature film was "a dream job... such a fun cast and we had so much fun. I loved meeting Helena [Bonham Carter] (Dr. Julia Hoffman) and getting to know her. I hope it's successful so that we can do a bunch of them because it was such a fantastic, creative group of people."
  • Eva Green (Angelique) tells Film News that she initially found herself intimidated by her Dark Shadows co-stars: “I am always anxious before shooting - this time, I was petrified. The first two weeks were really difficult. I was fazed by Johnny Depp (Barnabas), and, most of all, by Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays my rival in the movie. [Director] Tim [Burton] believed in me and he did everything to make me feel comfortable. Finally, it was the most beautiful shoot of my life."
  • Meanwhile, Helena Bonham Carter courts controversy in an interview with MTV, where she described the original Dark Shadows as "a really bad, hilariously bad soap opera. And because it's so bad, [Tim Burton] felt he had to make a hugely expensive movie." Speaking about the remake, she was rather more positive: "I love Dark Shadows. It's very original. It's uncategorizable. It's going to be impossible to sell, frankly, because it's just so... it's a soap opera but it's very, very subtle. It's a ghost story... but then it's an unhappy vampire story. It's a mixture of so many different things and a real ensemble piece."
  • Rock legend Alice Cooper has revealed more about his Dark Shadows movie cameo in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper reports that he was filled with admiration for the film's sets at Pinewood, which include "a sprawling gothic mansion and a harbour city complete with pier and boats floating in an artificial ocean." The piece once again confirms that Cooper will be playing himself, adding that "Barnabas Collins hires the rock star to play a private ball at his seaside home in Maine."
  • And finally, Variety has reported on the enduring appeal of vampires on-screen, citing the success of the latest instalment of the Twilight franchise and a slew of undead projects for 2012. The article declares Dark Shadows' May 11 release date is a "prime slot" and estimates the budget for the production to be $60 million.

2 comments:

Greg said...

Well. Alice Cooper hired to play a ball at Collinwood. A far cry from the Strings ensemble of versions past, but I'm keeping an open mind. I'm the type of fan that loves anything associated with my favorite franchises, even the less than perfect parts so I'm all for it. I cannot wait for May '12.

Tony Blass said...

Congratulations Michelle Pfieffer for becoming yet another famous artist to cite the original Dark Shadows as something they loved as a child and which had a profound impact on their later work. You join such writers as Stephen King and Anne Rice (what a shock), as well as your co-workers Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, the later of whom is realizing a childhood fantasy by playing the part of Barnabas Collins. Madonna also has revealed herself as one of the 20 million children and young adults who ran home from school each day to watch the show.