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New Dark Shadows Movie

I love that show. My first crush was Lara Parker. She has the greatest smile. The ends of her mouth just keep curling and curling.
 
Yes, that was called House of Dark Shadows and it was well written. I think it was for people who never seen it maybe - trying to get to a new crowd like Star Trek XI maybe? I watched House of DS last week, it never gets old to me. Now I need to buy the other DS movie, the one I had got lost in a move.
Yeah, it was well done, but they just seem to keep telling the same story over and over. I'd rather see a sequel showing what's happening in Collinsport today.
 
Well, so far I have not liked much of anything that Tim Burton has done and I hope you are right, that it won't turn out to be something so dark and weird. Hopefully if some of the old cast make appearances they will keep Burton in check.
If Burton makes the film original cast members will have zero influence on him. He'll make it the way he wants to.
 
They would be insane to do a continuation. The original TV show was over forty years ago. Modern audiences have no idea what happened in it, or how it left off.
 
The latest news is that Tim Burton's plans for Dark Shadows have run into some problems and that he may direct Malificent (a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from Malificent's point of view) next instead.



Any details on what the problems are that Burton ran into? I've been keen on this project since I first heard about it well over a year ago. Depp would be superb as Barnabas, IMO.
 
Any details on what the problems are that Burton ran into? I've been keen on this project since I first heard about it well over a year ago. Depp would be superb as Barnabas, IMO.
No, I haven't heard any details about what the problems are. It could be something as simple as scheduling conflicts given that Depp is going to be busy playing Jack Sparrow for most of this year. It might be that they've pushed Dark Shadows back and will get to it eventually when they're both free.
 
They would be insane to do a continuation. The original TV show was over forty years ago. Modern audiences have no idea what happened in it, or how it left off.

I don't see how that's a problem. A little exposition here, a flashback there, and we're all up to date. Then we can see how events of the past have carried thru to today.
 
They would be insane to do a continuation. The original TV show was over forty years ago. Modern audiences have no idea what happened in it, or how it left off.

I don't see how that's a problem. A little exposition here, a flashback there, and we're all up to date. Then we can see how events of the past have carried thru to today.


But the point is: only a handful of aging fans want to know what happened next. This movie is being made for modern audiences, as well as baby boomers who may have some vague, nostalgic memory of the original show. Modern viewers aren't going to care what happened on an old soap opera forty years ago, even if you struggle to bring them up-to-date. Why should they?

And, just to be a clear, I speak as someone who watched the old show religiously when I was a kid, saw both movies in the theater, read the old Marilyn Ross novels, built the Aurora models, played the board games, have attended DARK SHADOWS conventions, caught the off-Broadway show, read Lara Parker's book, and have even made a pilgrimage to the mansion where they filmed the movies.

In other words, I'm an aging fan with fond memories of the original, too. But that was forty years ago. If you're going to relaunch the franchise at this late date, you really need to start all over again . . .

It's the only sensible thing to do.
 
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I suppose. But I get tired of revivals and/or remakes that tell the same story all over again. The 90s revival retold the origin story (and I just watched the dern thing on DVD not a year ago). Seems... annoying to do it again.
 
And how many more times are we going to get Batman/Superman reboots and start-overs?

New times, new audience, new start. You have to tell the story from the beginning.
 
I suppose. But I get tired of revivals and/or remakes that tell the same story all over again. The 90s revival retold the origin story (and I just watched the dern thing on DVD not a year ago). Seems... annoying to do it again.


For us old-time fans, there is definitely going to be a distinct sense of deja vu watching Barnabas escape from his tomb for at least the third time (not counting the unaired pilot and off-Broadway show), but the 90's version wasn't around long enough to make any sort of impact, and the Dan Curtis movies passed into history over a generation ago. Only a tiny fraction of the movie audience are going to be that familiar with the story.

Just think of it as another retelling of a classic story, like THE THREE MUSKETEERS or DRACULA . . . .
 
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They would be insane to do a continuation. The original TV show was over forty years ago. Modern audiences have no idea what happened in it, or how it left off.
Not at all. A large chunk of the TNG audience had never seen TOS.
I thought of that. But I think it's a different situation. For one thing, STAR TREK movies had been coming out steadily all through the eighties, prior to TNG. Star Trek had never really gone away. (By contrast, the short-lived 90s remake of DARK SHADOWS barely made a ripple, and was still nearly twenty years ago.)

And TNG was a new showfeaturing a new ship and new characters. But I assume the movie wants to use Barnabas and Angelique and the original characters, which means reintroducing them to modern audiences.

Plus, at the risk of inciting a riot, I can't help point out that the STAR TREK movies never really achieved blockbuster status until, um, the new movie. Which was a reboot.

(Runs madly as the Trek fundamentalists unleash their phasers . . . .)
 
Plus, at the risk of inciting a riot, I can't help point out that the STAR TREK movies never really achieved blockbuster status until, um, the new movie. Which was a reboot.

(Runs madly as the Trek fundamentalists unleash their phasers . . . .)
Well, I'm not a Trek fundamentalist, nor will I fire a phaser at you, but Star Trek: The Motion Picture was the fifth highest grossing film of 1979, Star Trek II was #6 in 1982, Star Trek III was #9 in 1984, and Star Trek IV was #5 in 1986, so the first four Trek films were very much blockbusters, at least domestically, by the box office standards of their time. Star Trek, for the sake of comparison, was #7 in domestic office in 2009.
 
I thought of that. But I think it's a different situation. For one thing, STAR TREK movies had been coming out steadily all through the eighties, prior to TNG. Star Trek had never really gone away. (By contrast, the short-lived 90s remake of DARK SHADOWS barely made a ripple, and was still nearly twenty years ago.)
Granted, but I think TNG had its own appeal, as well as the lure of the Trek Universe.

And TNG was a new showfeaturing a new ship and new characters. But I assume the movie wants to use Barnabas and Angelique and the original characters, which means reintroducing them to modern audiences.
Right, and that's exactly what I'm suggesting. Showing Collinsport today, with new characters and new storylines; occasionally referencing the original as a historical backdrop. Possibly using Barnabas, though he would have to be recast, which is something I dislike.

Plus, at the risk of inciting a riot, I can't help point out that the STAR TREK movies never really achieved blockbuster status until, um, the new movie. Which was a reboot.

(Runs madly as the Trek fundamentalists unleash their phasers . . . .)
:mad:
 
Possibly using Barnabas, though he would have to be recast, which is something I dislike.

Zachary Quinto would be beyond perfect. We can get him back on TV, right? If he'll stick with Heroes, he must loooove TV or something. :rommie:
 
And TNG was a new showfeaturing a new ship and new characters. But I assume the movie wants to use Barnabas and Angelique and the original characters, which means reintroducing them to modern audiences.
Right, and that's exactly what I'm suggesting. Showing Collinsport today, with new characters and new storylines; occasionally referencing the original as a historical backdrop. Possibly using Barnabas, though he would have to be recast, which is something I dislike.

DARK SHADOWS: THE NEXT GENERATION? An interesting idea, but I'm still skeptical. Part of the appeal of TREK is its futuristic outer space setting, and the whole concept of Starfleet, the Federation, etc. DARK SHADOWS, I think, is more about the characters. Without Barnabas and Quentin and so on, Collinsport is just a small town in Maine. DARK SHADOWS without Barnabas is kind of like doing SHERLOCK HOLMES with Holmes. IMHO.

And, of course, you have to recast Barnabas simply there is no other practical alternative. And because it's always interesting to see how a different actor approache a part.

We've had at least six James Bonds, multiple Batmen, and more Draculas and Sherlock Holmes than I care to count. Why not a third Barnabas?
 
Possibly using Barnabas, though he would have to be recast, which is something I dislike.
Zachary Quinto would be beyond perfect. We can get him back on TV, right? If he'll stick with Heroes, he must loooove TV or something. :rommie:
Maybe we can get Zachary Quinto to play everybody. :rommie: And wouldn't it be funny if JJ cast him as Paris in that new MI movie. :rommie:

This isn't a new Dark Shadows TV show in development. It's the Tim Burton feature film with Johnny Depp attached to play Barnabas.
We're well into the realm of speculation now.

DARK SHADOWS: THE NEXT GENERATION? An interesting idea, but I'm still skeptical. Part of the appeal of TREK is its futuristic outer space setting, and the whole concept of Starfleet, the Federation, etc. DARK SHADOWS, I think, is more about the characters. Without Barnabas and Quentin and so on, Collinsport is just a small town in Maine. DARK SHADOWS without Barnabas is kind of like doing SHERLOCK HOLMES with Holmes. IMHO.
Well, okay, I guess it depends on how you see the concept. I see your point, but I think anything with an ensemble cast is open to being sequelized (and even something like Sherlock Holmes could theoretically be carried on by a son or nephew or something-- not specifically in Holmes's case, but you know what I mean).

And, of course, you have to recast Barnabas simply there is no other practical alternative. And because it's always interesting to see how a different actor approache a part.

We've had at least six James Bonds, multiple Batmen, and more Draculas and Sherlock Holmes than I care to count. Why not a third Barnabas?
Well, the practical alternative is to not use Barnabas. :rommie: But you're right, there's no reason not to recast him except my personal resistance to recasting iconic characters.

Is it "Batmen" or "Batmans"? :cardie:
Heh. When referring to multiple people wearing the costume, it would be "Batmen." When referring to multiple issues of the book, it would be "Batmans." When referring to multiple actors playing the same character-- I don't know, but I think I'd go with "Batmans."
 
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