I’m really on the fence about Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s Dark Shadows remake. My introduction was actually the 1990 version, which I absolutely adored. (True Blood fandom origin — solved.) So, as someone who fell for a remake — and was called blasphemer by all her 1960s Dark Shadows adoring friends — I always secretly wanted someone to give it another shot.
I just don’t know if that someone was Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. But I am trying to remain open-minded.
This new bit of casting probably fuels my interest more than anything, though. According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Jackie Earle Haley is in talks to play Willie Loomis, the sleazy con artist who sets up residence in the Collins mansion, and accidentally reawakens Barnabas. Instead of getting his hands on the ancestral riches, Willie ends up being the vampire’s servant a’la Renfield. It’s been proven again and again that Haley can do wonders with the smallest of roles, and be the best thing in any given movie, so this is fantastic news. It’s also a good sign that Burton and Depp are breaking out of their usual comfort zone in terms of supporting cast members. If we don’t see all of Sleepy Hollow reusing their cravats, I’d be thrilled.
DHD also reports that Bella Heathcoate is the top choice for Victoria Winters, the young governess of the Collins and the narrator of the story. I’m completely unfamiliar with her work, but she’s been a name that’s popped up for a number of tender young heroines lately. And she fits the Burton doll face aesthetic to a T:
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Man, Burton is so hit or miss. Visually his films are always fascinating, but he often misses with the tone, pacing, characters. I’m up for a new Dark Shadows, and Depp can also work wonders. I’m hoping this is more Sleepy Hollow and less Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Haley is indeed a good sign.
I’m old enough to remember Dark Shadows when it was a daytime soap and JEH is absolutely perfect casting for Willie. Just the fact that Willie is a character in the movie gives me hope that they know what they are doing.
Though why Hollywood keeps making movies that seem aimed at the 50 to 70 demographic is beyond me.
That’s some pretty sick casting news.
I want to be excited about this casting news, but mostly I just wish Tim Burton would go away. Not forever. Just long enough for him to pry his lips from Johnny Depp’s ass and come back to reality/Earth/the matrix.
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