Dark Shadows ~ Burton & Depp Back as 'Dark' as Usual

Directed By: Tim Burton

Produced By: Richard D. Zanuck, Graham King, Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski, David Kennedy

Screenplay By: Seth Grahame-Smith

Story By: John August, Seth Grahame-Smith

Based on Dark Shadows By: Dan Curtis

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote, Christopher Lee

Music By: Danny Elfman

Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel

Editing By: Chris Lebenzon

Studio: Village Roadshow Pictures, Infinitum Nihil, GK Films, The Zanuck Company

Distributed By: Warner Bros.

Release Date: May 11, 2012 (US & Indonesia)

Running Time: 113 minutes

Country: United States

Language: English

Budget: $105 million

Synopsis:

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet--or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

The Characters:

Johnny Depp/Thomas McDonell as Barnabas Collins

Barnabas Collins is a fictional character and one of the feature characters in the ABC daytime serial Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 to 1971. Barnabas Collins is a 200-year-old vampire who is in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette. One of the most defining features of Barnabas's character development is his very gradual but persistent transformation from a frightening creature of the night into the show's protagonist, where he is the one who selflessly and heroically risks his life time and time again to save the Collins family from catastrophe. Despite this, he was a flawed character whose foibles ensured that he never became the show's outright hero. He is played by Johnny Depp in the 2012 film by director Tim Burton.  Thomas McDonell plays the young version of Barnabas.

Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard

Angelique Bouchard Collins is a fictional character from the gothic horror-soap opera Dark Shadows. She is primarily portrayed as a powerful witch driven by her vacillating love and hatred for Barnabas Collins. Angelique was originally introduced to explain how Barnabas Collins became a vampire, but she proved popular enough in her own right to make many return appearances. She will be portrayed by French actress Eva Green in the upcoming feature film directed by Tim Burton.

Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters / Josette

Victoria Winters is a fictional character from the television Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and its remakes of the same name. For the 2012 film adaptation, Victoria will be played by Bella Heathcote. A good-natured governess with a mysterious past, she is the de facto female lead in the various incarnations of the story. Heathcote also plays the role of Josette du Pres.

Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis

Willie Loomis was a character on the ABC-TV gothic horror soap opera, Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 until 1971. In the 2012 film adaptation directed by Tim Burton, Loomis (the manor's caretaker) is played by Jackie Earle Haley.

Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman

Julia Hoffman is a fictional character played by Grayson Hall in the 1966 ABC soap opera Dark Shadows. A doctor in the fields of psychology and rare blood disorders and head of the Windcliff Sanitarium, she moved into Collinwood and discovered the vampire, Barnabas Collins. Initially, Julia represented a threat to Barnabas’ undead existence, but eventually she became one of his most staunch allies. Together, Julia and Barnabas worked to assist the Collins family in the past, present, future, and in Parallel Time. Helena Bonham Carter will play Julia in the new Tim Burton film remake of Dark Shadows.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard is a fictional character played by Joan Bennett on the cult television ABC-TV Gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows from 1966 to 1971. Elizabeth is the matriarch of the Collins family, the longtime owners of a cannery and shipping company in a small Maine fishing town. Jean Simmons portrayed the character in the revival series in 1991, and Blair Brown took over the role in the WB pilot. Elizabeth will be played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the upcoming 2012 feature film.

Jonny Lee Miller as Roger Collins

Roger Collins was the younger brother of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard and father to young David Collins. When David was ten-years-old, Roger hired a tutor from Boston named Victoria Winters to stay at the family mansion known as Collinwood to work as a governess to David. Roger felt that Victoria was a competent instructor, but found her ability to manage David's prankish behavior to be woefully inadequate. He partially expected Victoria to act as a surrogate mother for him. Victoria's presence at Collinwood allowed Roger the ability to ignore his son even more so than usual. Jonny Lee Miller will play Roger Collins.

Chloe Grace Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard

Carolyn Stoddard is a fictional character played by Nancy Barrett (and for one episode Diana Walker) in the 1966 soap opera Dark Shadows. Carolyn Stoddard is the daughter of Paul Stoddard and Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Joan Bennett). She was born on December 8, 1947. (The family Bible, however, lists her date of birth as July 16, 1946.) About 2 years later, Paul abandoned Carolyn and left Collinsport, Maine. The abandonment of Paul caused Elizabeth to remain at Collinwood for over eighteen years. Carolyn never liked Collinwood, often claiming that she felt trapped and it felt like a prison. When she was ten, Carolyn would dream of a "white knight" saving her. Despite this, Carolyn remains at Collinwood in fear of leaving her mother, just as Paul had left. Carolyn Stoddard will be played by Chloë Moretz in the upcoming 2012 feature film.

Gulliver McGrath as David Collins

David Collins was a fictional character, the son of Roger Collins, on the television serial Dark Shadows, played by David Henesy. In the 1990 made-for-television movie and 1991 revival series, David Collins was played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In the 2004 WB Pilot for Dark Shadows, he was played by Alexander Gould. In one episode, he made a very epic fail on his line when he said "...when the water...the ocean...the sun rises over the ocean". Gulliver McGrath will play David Collins.

Trailer: