Breaking: For this next effort, Tim Burton has already assembled a staggeringly top notch cast with Johnny Depp, Jackie Earle Haley, Eva Green, Bella Heathcote, Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter all set to star in the big screen adaptation of the cult ’60s television show “Dark Shadows.” And if everything pans out, another very big name will joining Burton’s grand tale.
The Playlist has confirmed with sources close to the production that Michael Sheen is in early discussions for a supporting role in the film, though it’s not yet clear just who he’ll been playing. We’re told there’s definite mutual interest going on between the actor and director (Sheen voiced the White Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland“), and while these talks have not turned into negotiations yet, they very well could soon. Sheen will likely be reading Seth Grahame-Smith‘s already well-liked latest draft revision this weekend and deal points could commence shortly thereafter if everyone is on the same page.
The “Dark Shadows” story centers on Barnabas Collins (Depp), a vampire who is in search of his lost love, Josette. In a recent interview Eva Green revealed to The Playlist that she plays Angelique Bouchard, a witch who is obsessively in love with Barnabus. Pfeiffer will play Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the matriarch of her brood who has not left her mansion in the decade following the disappearance of her husband; Bonham Carter is Hoffman, a specialist in psychology and rare blood disorders; Haley as the con artist Loomis who is a slave to Barnabas; and Heathcote as Victoria Winters, the governess of the Collins estate.
Word should be firmed up soon on the casting as it’s set to roll in front of cameras next month. No release date has been named just yet, but a 2012 bow is expected.