Sewell Joins "Vampire Hunter"

British actor Rufus Sewell has joined the cast of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, says Variety. Sewell will play the lead villain role of the vampire Adam.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be shot in stereoscopic 3D, and will be released in theaters on June 22nd, 2012.

Art Show Celebrates 20 Years of "Edward Scissorhands"

On April 16th, 2011, Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles will host a 20th anniversary tribute to Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands. The art exhibition will "highlight the works of over 40 artists, including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, etc."

You can see a wide range of examples of just some of the artwork that will be on display at /Film, but here are a few notable pieces:


"The True Story" by acclaimed animator Uli Meyer


Robert Ricci's "Scissorheart"


Lorena Alvarez's "The Blossom Clearing"


Andrea Kalfa's "Ambrosia Salad"


Here is the official press release from the Gallery Nucleus:

Edward Scissorhands 20th Anniversary Tribute
April 16, 2011 - May 9, 2011
Opening Reception / Apr 16, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

In collaboration with Sebastien Mesnard, Gallery Nucleus will be showcasing a selection of original works from the Scissorhands 20th blog. The exhibit will highlight the works of over 40 artists, including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, etc. and unite enthusiasts and fans in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tim Burton's classic love story and its unforgettable characters; Edward, Kim, Peg and a band of colorful suburbanites.

Opening Reception highlights include:

* Free refreshments and ambrosia served.
* 5 Free raffle tickets for those dressed in their best Scissorhands-inspired attire. (Tickets can be purchased for $2.00 each.)
* Raffle prizes includes original artwork, Anniversary Edition Edward Scissorhands DVD, Avon gifts, and Nucleus gift certificates.
* Gifts and samples provided by "Avon Lady" (Johanna Figueroa).
* This is an all ages event.
* Admission is free.
* All raffle tickets are also valid for Adventure Time merchandise. Raffle drawing at 10:30PM.


Artists Featured:

Alina Chau
Amelie Fléchais
Andrea Kalfas
Aurian Redson
Aya Miyazaki
Becky Dreistadt
Benjamin Lacombe
Bill Robinson
Bob Doucette
Brigette Barrager
Brittney Lee
Celine Loup
Chuck Groenink
Cory Godbey
Daniela Volpari
Dan Thompson
Dave Perillo
Denny Khurniawan
Drake Brodahl
Drazen Kojan
Emmanuelle Walker
Eren Blanquet
Graham Annable
Israel Sanchez
Jason Caffoe
Jérémie Fleury
Jerrod Maruyama
John Kenn Mortensen
Josh Parpan
Joyce Colson
Justin Parpan
Ken Garduno
Ken Turner
Laura Iorio
Lilidoll
Lorelay Bové
Lorena Alvarez
Luisa Uribe
Marietta Ren
Martin Hsu
Mindy Lee
Nicolas Duffaut
Nicolas Léger
Pascal Campion
Petracchi Alexandra
Robert Kondo
Roberto Ricci
Seo Kim
Uli Meyer
Vincent Ehrhart-Devay
Xander (Alex) Leighton
Xavier Collette

..and more!


For more information and artwork, visit Scissorhands20th.blogspot.com and GalleryNucleus.com.

Chloe Moretz Joins "Dark Shadows"

NME Movie News reports that Chloe Moretz (best known as "Hit Girl" from Kick-Ass) is in advanced talks with Warner Bros. to join Dark Shadows. Moretz would likely play the role of Carolyn, the daughter of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, who will be played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

"Frankenweenie" Production Art Surfaces

New production artwork for the feature-length version of Frankenweenie has surfaced on animation artist Dennis Greco's website. You can see several examples of Greco's layouts on his official website, but here are a few examples:

Seth Grahame-Smith on "Dark Shadows," "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"

Writer Seth Grahame-Smith sat down with Collider.com for an extensive interview (click here for the full interview). The novelist and screenwriter talked about numerous projects, but here is the excerpt in which he discusses the adaptation of his own novel, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, his script for Dark Shadows, and collaborating with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.

As a writer, is there a difference for you, in writing a script for something like Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, where you didn’t know who would be cast in the roles, as opposed to something like Dark Shadows, where you know Johnny Depp is playing the character and that’s who you’re writing for?

GRAHAME-SMITH: Yeah, there is a difference, sure. The challenge with Lincoln was adapting my own book. I had to cannibalize and just give up all ownership of the book, in my mind. What makes a good book and what makes a good movie are totally different things. Someone told me that the best adaptations are merely inspired by the book, they’re not dictated by the book. That took awhile to learn. It took me awhile to get to the point where I could say, “Okay, maybe this movie does need a villain,” since there’s no villain in the book. And then, it was, “Who is that villain?” It was a huge learning experience for me. At the same time, working with Tim [Burton] and Johnny [Depp], I could meet with Johnny and sit down with him and hear him say these lines and talk to him about how he’s going to perform this character. That absolutely dictates the way that you write because you have a basis in which to imagine these words being said. It actually makes it easier and it makes it a little more fun to write in that situation. You’re like, “This is a Johnny Depp movie. This is a Tim Burton movie. I know what the pallette of that is and I can draw on it.”

Was there anything specific that you wanted to bring to Dark Shadows, both from your own sensibility and so that you made it familiar to fans?

GRAHAME-SMITH: My job on Dark Shadows was to make it fun and funny, first and foremost. It can still be dark and it can still even be gory and gothic at times, but it also needed to be fun and it needed to be an experience that people would enjoy having. I came at it from, “Let’s not be afraid to be funny. Let’s make Barnabas funny. Let’s see this movie through his eyes and really see a man who is trying to come to terms with what he is, where he is and when he is.” I think we really got there with the script. We’re still making some tweaks, and there are rehearsals coming up in a couple weeks and there will be some tweaks after that, but I think everybody is really excited, me included, about where we got. They’re filming Lincoln right now, which is exciting. And, they’re going to be filming Dark Shadows in May, which is also really exciting. It’s hard to believe. For me, thinking that these movies are going to be in theaters in a year or so, it’s just astonishing.

What’s it been like to collaborate with someone like Tim Burton, who is such a visual filmmaker?

GRAHAME-SMITH: It’s just another amazing experience, and a learning experience for me. Honestly, the last couple of years have been like going to film school all over again, times 100. It’s been amazing to watch the way that his mind works, and how he collaborates with Johnny, and how Johnny’s mind works. Also, getting to work with a producer like Richard Zanuck, who did Jaws, Planet of the Apes and The Sound of Music, is just incredible. It’s having living legends, all around you. It was intimidating at first because you’re walking in with these iconic people, but that goes away pretty quickly, and you get comfortable and realize that everybody is just a normal person.

In adapting your own material for Abraham Lincoln, were there things that you added to the script that you wished you’d have thought of for the novel?

GRAHAME-SMITH: Oh yeah, absolutely. The book deals with slavery, in a very delicate way. In retrospect, I should have had an African American point of view in the book. In the book, the slaves, until the very end of the book, are just victimized. That’s something that works, in terms of a book that’s purporting itself to be historically accurate, but at the same time, in a movie, you need all points of view. But, the real thing with Lincoln was that the book didn’t really have a cohesive central villain. The villain was all vampires and it was this thousands of years old movement that led them to the Civil War. You need an embodiment in a movie, much more than you do in a book. That’s something that we realized, along the process. We kept having all these conversations about making the threat more palpable, but what we were really saying was that we needed a person. So, as I’m writing my new book, which I’m doing now, the things that I’ve learned from the experience of doing these movies has just taught me so much about writing books. Not just because I want these books to go on to be movies and I want the process of adapting them to be easier, which is also true, but it just makes the stories richer, it makes them easier to tell and more fun to tell when you have people to say the things that you’re trying to get across. That’s definitely on my mind now.

Thomas McDonnell Joins "Dark Shadows"

The Hollywood Reporter informs us that Thomas McDonnell has joined the cast of Dark Shadows. McDonnell will be playing the younger version of Johnny Depp's character, the vampire Barnabas Collins, a "self-loathing vampire living in a Maine manor who is searching for his lost love." Perhaps the film will continue the Tim Burton tradition of flashbacks of the protagonist, as seen films including Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Sleepy Hollow, and others.

Michael Sheen is also in talks to be in Dark Shadows, though it is unknown which role he will play. Sheen worked with Burton in Alice in Wonderland, supplying the voice of the White Rabbit.

Filming of Dark Shadows begins next month.

Video: Eva Green on "Dark Shadows"

Eva Green spoke with MTV News, giving us her thoughts on Tim Burton's upcoming adaptation of Dark Shadows, which begins shooting next month:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

"I haven't seen the TV series, but from what I've seen on the Internet, it's very different. My character is very different. She's American, blonde, cool, in the '70s," Green told MTV News. "She is this sexy witch, very powerful in town, she's very cool. She has many faces." Green will be playing the role of Angelique.

"It's something that he's never done, I think," she said. "It's much more focused on the actors. It could almost be a play."


Green had a bit more to say about the film in an interview with Black Book:

Tell me about Dark Shadows, the Tim Burton film you’re shooting. Has that started yet?
No, in a month.

What can you tell me about that?
I’m not allowed to say too much about it. It’s extremely well written, very, very funny, in a Tim Burton way. It’s very focused on the actors, and the characters are really rich. My character is a full-on witch and she’s completely obsessed with Johnny Depp’s character, and she’ll do anything to get him.

Is it going to be a film children can see?
I don’t know, it’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever read. There will be blood, so I don’t know. It’s always dark and poetic with Tim Burton. It’s a mixture of Sweeney Todd and Beetlejuice—back to his old roots. But he wants to focus more on the actors this time and the relationships. It could almost be a play.

Michael Gough, 1917-2011

Legendary actor and frequent Tim Burton collaborator Michael Gough died on Thursday, March 17th. He was 94.

Michael Gough had an extensive career with roles in over 150 films. He began acting in the 1940s and became a staple of the British Hammer horror films in the 1950s and 1960s (which Burton is quite fond of).

Gough is perhaps best known as playing Alfred Pennyworth in Burton's Batman in 1989 and Batman Returns in 1992. He played the same character in the Joel Schumacher sequels, such as the Burton-produced Batman Forever (1995). Gough continued to work with Burton in other films, playing Notary Hardenbrook in Sleepy Hollow (1999) and supplying the voice of Elder Gutneckt in Corpse Bride (2005). Gough came out of retirement to provide his voice to the Dodo Bird in Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010), his final performance.

"Alice" on Broadway?

While rumors have been floating around regarding this matter for a little while, Playbill.com has learned that Disney is indeed considering adapting Tim Burton's recent version of Alice in Wonderland into a stage musical for Broadway.

Playbill.com writes that "Disney Theatrical Productions executives have met with key members of the film, including director Tim Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton, to develop the property as a stage musical."

Burton would oversee the project, but not direct. Woolverton would adapt her screenplay to the stage. Robert Jess Roth is set to helm the stage musical, with choreography by Matt West. The duo also collaborated on Disney's first Broadway outing, Beauty and the Beast.

No composer or songwriting team has been mentioned yet, and there is no current timeline for a Broadway arrival. Burton has also not made a comment yet.

This project is stil very much in its most embryonic form of development. It has happened before: several years ago, there was talk of adapting Burton's Batman film to a Broadway musical, with songs by Meatloaf. The project never came to fruition.

No Reznor for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"

On March 7th, Trent Reznor confirmed on the official Nine Inch Nails forum that he would be involved with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as both the composer of the film's musical score and by playing a small role onscreen.

Reznor wrote: “I was very familiar with the book [by Seth Grahame-Smith], read the script, and it felt like an interesting challenge as a composer… The idea was a cameo-esque role that would be kept under wraps and be a surprise around opening night… So… do me a favor and act surprised, OK?”

But just three days later, Reznor provided his fans with an update, says Crawdaddy! Magazine. Reznor wrote that he will actually not be involved with the film, as he is busy with other projects:

“Don’t believe everything you read… There’s no juicy story here, it’s just that when the news mysteriously leaked out about my involvement I hadn’t made up my mind completely, because various aspects of the project were changing. I felt the need to say something earlier this week because my inbox was filling up with speculation, and at that moment I thought I would be doing it. Confused yet? Apparently I am. Bottom line, I wish them the best with the film, and I’m sure it will still be great.”

At best, Reznor was only in talks to work on the film, and was not officially involved in it.

As of now, we do not know who will score the film.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"

MTV reports that Mary Elizabeth Winstead (known for Scott Pilgrim Versus the World and Death Proof) will be playing the role of May Todd Lincoln in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Winstead is replacing Robin McLeavy, who was previously assigned the role during talks. The film is currently in pre-production.

Reznor in Talks for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"

Entertainment Weekly reports that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame is being approached to work on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

20th Century Fox confirms that they not only want Reznor to compose the score for the film, but also to play Jack Barts, the vampire who kills Lincoln’s mother and sets the hero on his path of righteous vengeance.

Reznor won an Academy Award this past Sunday for his score in The Social Network.

Burton, Brolin to Make "Hunchback"?

The Hollywood Reporter states that Tim Burton and Josh Brolin may possibly make an update of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Warner Bros. is currently developing the project.

Brolin would not only star as the titular character, but also produce the film. Burton is reportedly intrigued and may even direct. But Burton has yet to read the script, which is being written by Kieran and Michele Mulroney (scribes of the forthcoming Sherlock Holmes sequel).

If Burton does decide to direct the film, then perhaps this feature-length adaptation will be somewhat in the spirit of the 1923 classic film starring Lon Chaney, Sr. Only time will tell:



Brolin is repped by CAA. The Mulroneys are repped by CAA and Management 360. Burton is repped by WME.



Photos: Getty Images

Video: Helena Bonham Carter on "Dark Shadows"

At Sunday's 83rd Academy Awards, Helena Bonham Carter briefly spoke with MTV about the possibility of working on Dark Shadows:

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Video: Helena Bonham Carter on Dark Shadows (MTV)

Carter said she may play the role of Dr. Julia Hoffman, a doctor who specializes in blood disorders.

"I think I'm going to do it," she said, "and I think it's because, well, I've never played an alcoholic psychiatrist!"

"I thought it was a sexy part he wanted me for, and I'm saying, 'Yeah, I can play the sexy witch,'" she said. "And he said, 'No, you've done that. You're going to play the psychiatrist who's an alcoholic!'"

"It's definitely a fun part, so we'll see," she added. "And it has a great cast."

Video: Colleen Atwood on "Dark Shadows"

Colleen Atwood briefly talked about the forthcoming Dark Shadows film. The costume designer has said that she has just helped Johnny Depp into his Barnabas Collins costume for the first time. She has also read the script, saying that it is "really funny," and says that, like the soap opera it is based upon, "will still be campy, I'm sure."

"Alice" Wins Two Oscars

Alice in Wonderland won two of the three Oscars it was nominated for this Sunday at the 83rd annual Academy Awards.

The film won in the categories of Best Costume Design, with Colleen Atwood receiving her third Oscar, and Best Art Direction, given to Robert Stromberg (Production Designer) and Karen O'Hara (Set Decorator).

Here is Atwood's acceptance speech:

"Thank you to the Academy and especially to my fellow nominees who are just so much fun to sit with tonight and who have been so supportive, it's great to be part of such a great group of people. The story, "Alice in Wonderland," was described by its publisher in 1865 as a story valued for its rare imagination, priceless humor, and power to transport the reader into a world of pure fantasy, a gift to us all. The heart of any movie lies with the director and I've been incredibly lucky on this and many films to work with the singular Tim Burton. Tim's imagination along with the amazing cast Johnny's incandescent Hatter, Mia's Alice for all girls, all times, Helena's the fearless big headed Queen, and our crystalline snowflake princess, Anne Hathaway, made my job a delight. We had the support of a production team headed by Richard Zanuck and Katterli Frauenfelder. Supported by Joe Roth, Suzanne and Jen Todd, and Disney, but I couldn't have done it without my team Christine Cantella and my entire group. Thank you all very much."

This is the ninth Academy Award nomination for Colleen Atwood. She was previously nominated for:

NINE (2009) -- Nominee, Costume Design
SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007) -- Nominee, Costume Design
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (2005) -- Winner, Costume Design
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (2004) -- Nominee, Costume Design
CHICAGO (2002) -- Winner, Costume Design
SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999) -- Nominee, Costume Design
BELOVED (1998) -- Nominee, Costume Design
LITTLE WOMEN (1994) -- Nominee, Costume Design

Atwood also filled out a questionnaire sheet, giving us some tidbits of her interests, inspirations, and memories from working on Alice (click the thumbnail to enlarge the image):



And here is the joined acceptnce speech from Stromberg and O'Hara:


STROMBERG: Why didn't I lose that 20 lbs? First of all, the other nominees, Guy, all you guys deserve to be up here. Everyone at Disney from Iger and Ross and Bailey, Bruce Hendricks, Art Repola, the great Joe Roth. The Art Department led by Stefan Dechant, Crissy Wilson, and Todd Cherniawsky. This great set decorator. I'm standing here because of three people, Ken Ralston, the great Richard Zanuck, and the wacky world of Tim Burton. There he is!

O'HARA: Tim, this is yours. Thank you.

STROMBERG: Meet me with a saw because half of this is yours. There's one last bit of art direction for a Tim Burton Film. There it is. Thank You Academy and to my wife and kids and I dedicate this to my Dad.

This is the third Academy Award nomination for Robert Stromberg. He was previously nominated for:

AVATAR (2009) -- Winner, Art Direction
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (2003) -- Nominee, Visual Effects

This is the second Academy Award nomination for Karen O'Hara. She was previously nominated for:

THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986) -- Nominee, Art Direction



Daniel Haim of Bloginity interviewed O'Hara and Stromberg back stage:

Q. Congratulations. What did you put on top of the Oscar? Oh, now I can see it.

A. You couldn’t see it? It’s a little Mad Hatter’s hat.

Q. Did you make that?

A. I had one of my prop makers make it, and I just thought it was a nice little punctuation to the end of the show. Could you not see it on the broadcast? You could see it.

Q. Congratulations. I just want to ask you, what was your biggest production design challenge on this film because it seemed like every scene probably would have been, but can you talk about that, but also in terms of set direction, what was your biggest challenge?

A. Well, you know, any time you work on a Tim Burton film, there’s a bar that you have to meet, and the challenge for a film like this is that we had a great deal of digital sets, but there were some challenging physical sets. And the biggest challenge was sort of making sure the director, the actors knew where they were at all times in these green environments through, having virtual versions of those sets available to them; physical models, and illustrations.

Q. The Academy made a big splash of connecting art direction, cinematography, and yet Alice’s other big below the line nomination is in visual effects. So, in an increasingly rendered age, what is the relationship between production design and the visual effects department?

A. You guys ask a set decorating question next. Well, I come from visual effects. But the difference between how we work now in these types of films is that the production designer is involved with the visual effects probably more heavily, and involved more in post production, which is actually good because the way it normally works is the production designer will sort of leave after the end of principal photography, and then you are relying on visual effects people to fill in those green screens. So, this keeps a more cohesive design coming from visual effects myself.

Q. This is your second in a row in art direction after your first nomination being in visual effects. Where do you see your art evolving from here?

A. I should probably retire (laughs). You know, I feel honestly, I feel that I’ve always done creative things, but design is design no matter what you do, no matter what form. We have lots of new technology that we’re trying and I feel like we are pioneering fusing art and machine. I am very proud of that because the next generation of kids coming up will know what they are doing.

Q. I just want to get some reaction from you, you’ve been up there before is it different the second time, and I want to hear from both of you about this?

A. Stromberg: Honestly, I was not expecting it. I was sort of following INCEPTION. I thought it had the upper hand this year, but I’m very proud that it was recognized and very happy to win, but all the nominees I take my hat off to.

A. Karen O’Hara: I think that the most difficult time that we had was when Johnny decided to walk across the table and suddenly all of our china and our tables, we had to triplicate. Other than that, though, we had a wonderful time working with Tim and this is really a nod to him and his supportive artists.
A. [Stromberg] Thank you all.

Q. Thank you, and congratulations.


Alice was also nominated for Best Visual Effects, but Inception took home that prize.

Video: "TiM," a Stop-Motion Tribute to Burton

Ken Turner's TiM:

TiM from Ken Turner on Vimeo.

Animator Ken Turner has been a fan of Tim Burton's films for many years. In an ultimate tribute to the filmmaker, Turner made TiM, a short stop-motion film in the style of Mr. Burton's own short film, Vincent, which was an homage to his own childhood idol, Vincent Price. After years in the making, Turner's TiM is gathering recognition, making the rounds online and in film festivals.

I spoke with Mr. Turner to learn more about the making of his animated tribute.




When did you first come up with this project?

In 2002, I came up with the idea when I was in my second year of college at Sheridan taking art fundamental courses and was applying to get into the animation program. Every year there would be screenings of the animation graduates final year films. So I knew that if I got in that I'd have to come up with a film idea in my final year. It was one night out of the blue when I woke up and scribbled down on a scrap piece of paper something like "boy who wants to be like tim burton.....like vincent". I probably still have the piece of paper somewhere in a box. It was to be somewhat a "re-imagining" of the story of "Vincent" but for a generation who were brought up on Tim Burton films, just as Tim grew up watching Vincent Price films. I wanted it to be a auto-biography/biography type film by pulling things that I read about Tim Burton's childhood and from my own childhood. One of the first things I read was about how he convinced the other kids in the neighborhood that aliens had landed and started a war. So I tried to build a narrative around those kind of elements.




When did you begin production?

Before actually production began, I was able to work on the film in my spare time during my years prior to getting into the animation program and after. During that time I was able to work out all the character designs, the poem, the storyboards and what equipment I was going to need to film it. From September 2006 to April 2007 was when actually production of the armatures of the characters, set/prop construction and the shooting of the animation began. I was very fortunate to have a lot of friends and colleagues who were able to come in and give their time by making sets, props, costumes or animating a scene. The production of the film was done in the basement of the house I was living in during college. It was nicknamed "The Batcave" because it was very dark and not alot of natural light got in. There were spiders and spider webs on ceilings, mice would get in sometimes but I like to think it all added to the atmosphere while making the film.




Was this your first time working in the medium of stop-motion animation?

I had never worked in stop motion before but I had visited a stop motion studio in Toronto and was very inspired by that experience. I had made a traditional animated short film prior which was called "Attack of the Giant Vegetable Monsters". I believe that film was very important to make in order to get "TiM" made because I was able to see first hand all the things that needed to be done for an animated short film to get made. During school there were not a lot of stop motion films being made. They were either traditional or 3D, and stop motion wasn't taught either. So all my education was from books or films. The behind the scenes featurettes from the films of Ray Harryhausen, Tim Burton, Henry Selick were invaluable in the production of "TiM". I think now Sheridan has alot of stop-motion films coming out every year and there is even classes/facilities for students to make films at school.




How do you think Tim Burton's work have affected your films?

I believe his work has had a very meaningful impact on my films and art. I think what I get from his films is how personal they are. So that made me think about making films very differently and how cathartic they can made. "TiM" was definitely a way for me to express my thoughts about growing up but at the same time showing how much those films mean to me.



What is the future of your short film, "TiM"?

Hopefully I can keep it on the web and let have its own life online. During February 2011 it played at the New York LES (Lower East Side) Film Festival as an opening night selection and an animation night selection. I'll keep pursuing other ways for people to see it like film festivals which can always breath new life into it and let it be seen by new audiences worldwide.



You can learn more about Ken Turner and TiM in the following links:

Ken Turner's Blog
Ken Turner's Vimeo Profile
TiM Film Production Blog

Pfeiffer Returns for "Dark Shadows"?

Michelle Pfeiffer is in negotiations to reteam with Tim Burton on Dark Shadows, says the Hollywood Reporter. The actress and the director have not worked together since Batman Returns in 1992, when she played Catwoman/Selina Kyle.

Although it is not confirmed if she will be in the film, Pfeiffer would probably play Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, "the reclusive matriarch of the Collins family which runs the Maine town."

Dark Shadows is intended to begin shooting this April.


Photo Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Christopher Lee Honored at BAFTAs

Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee, and Tim Burton at the BAFTAs

The legendary Christopher Lee was honored at the BAFTA awards ceremony this year, receiving the Academy Fellowship. Tim Burton presented the award to the master thespian, and Lee accepted the honor with grace and humbleness. Lee has worked with Burton on Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and Alice in Wonderland.

Here is a video of Burton's introduction and Lee's gracious acceptance speech:




Check out another video of Lee's reflecting on his numerous roles as playing bad guys and monsters over the years.

Official “Frankenweenie” Synopsis, Details

Walt Disney Studios has released an official synopsis and production notes of the forthcoming stop-motion film, Frankenweenie. Collider provides us with these details, which includes the majority of the voice-over cast, that the film will be shot in black and white and shown in 3D, and that the film has required the construction of over 200 puppets and sets.

Following is Disney's officially released information:

Genre: Comedy adventure
Rating: TBD
U.S. Release date: October 5, 2012
Voice Cast: Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer
Director: Tim Burton
Producers: Tim Burton, Allison Abbate
Executive Producer: Don Hahn
Screenplay by: John August
Based on an original idea by: Tim Burton
From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.
A stop-motion animated film, “Frankenweenie” will be filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, which will elevate the classic style to a whole new experience.
In Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences.

NOTES:
• When Tim Burton originally conceived the idea for “Frankenweenie,” he envisioned it as a full-length, stop-motion animated film. Due to budget constraints, he instead directed it as a live-action short, released in 1984.
• “Frankenweenie” follows in the footsteps of Tim Burton’s other stop-motion animated films “Corpse Bride” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”—both of which were nominated for Academy Awards.
• Over 200 puppets and sets were created for the film.
• The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (“Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands”), Catherine O’Hara (“Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas”), Martin Short (“Mars Attacks!”) and Martin Landau (“Ed Wood,” Sleepy Hollow”).
• Several of the character names—Victor, Elsa Van Helsing, Edgar “E” Gore and Mr. Burgermeister— were inspired by classic horror films.