Update: Deadline reports that, while talks haven’t formally begun, Helena Bonham Carter is expected to play “Hoffman, a specialist in psychology and rare blood disorders who moves into Collinwood.” She becomes an ally to Barnabas and may even be able to cure his thirst for blood.
Granted, we’ve given a lot of flack to Tim Burton — deservedly so — for his largely crappy output of late, but the cast he’s assembling for “Dark Shadows” is certainly promising and if reteaming with an actress from one of his earlier successes sparks some new creative juices, we’re all for it.
THR reports that Michelle Pfeiffer is in negotiations to reteam with “Batman Returns” helmer for “Dark Shadows.” Already set to star Johnny Depp, Jackie Earle Haley, Eva Green and Bella Heathcote, the adaptation of the cult 1960s vampire show centers on Barnabas Collins, a vampire (to be played by Depp) who is in search of his lost love, Josette. Should she sign on, Pfeiffer would play Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the matriarch of her brood who has not left her mansion in the decade following the disappearance of her husband.
Production is ramping up with plans to get the film in front of cameras in April. For Pfeiffer, this project is yet another one added her increasing busy schedule as she is currently shooting both “New Year’s Eve” and “Welcome To People.” For an actress who has been on the cusp of a comeback for the past couple of years, this could tip the balance. We just hope Burton and Depp lurch out of their too familiar and too comfortable working relationship to deliver on some intriguing material.