So the big screen version of Dark Shadows didn’t turn out that well after all, which is really quite a shame, as the original show was fantastic.
Maybe today’s generation doesn’t get it or care, but it was quite a big deal for many people growing up, especially Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. So the fact that it’s never been successfully revived, whether trying to bring it back on television in the ‘90’s, or bringing it back as a movie, is definitely a drag. (Then again, maybe it can be rebooted next year…)
As you probably already know by now, Johnny Depp is also bringing back another TV terror favorite, Kolchak the Night Stalker, which like Dark Shadows is still revered to this day. Kolchak didn’t last long on TV, but started getting notice again in the 90’s when word got out it was the primary influence on The X-Files.
As a big fan of the series, I’ve been chomping at the bit for a Kolchak movie for quite some time, and hope Depp will deliver with this one. Edgar Wright, the man who gave us Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim Saves the World, is on board to direct.
Reports have also surfaced on The Hollywood Reporter and Empire that D.V. DeVincentis, who penned Grosse Point Blank, is on board for a script rewrite, which is somewhat of an interesting choice.
In addition to Blank, DeVincentis adapted High Fidelity into the highly acclaimed film which also starred John Cusack. As far as what direction the film will take, whether it will be faithful to the source, campier like Dark Shadows, or a hybrid of the two, no one knows. But there are definitely good people on board so far.
As we’ve mentioned before on TG, one of the great coulda shoulda woulda movies that could have been was David Fincher directing Kolchak from a script by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en). It would have been great to see the team behind Se7en working together again, and I’d love to see how Kolchak would have looked through Fincher’s eyes. At the very least, it definitely would have brought an intense edge to a great show, but there’s no doubt Edgar Wright can do it justice as well.
