Tim Burton & Johnny Depp Team For 'SWEENEY TODD' Movie Musical Adaptation- Page 3

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 1:13am

Johnny can sing. Before he got into acting, he was in a band. He does sing a little bit in Crybaby, though for some reason most of the singing is voiceover by someone else. Have not figured that out yet. At any rate, Johnny can sing.

I love all Johnny + Tim pairings. Granted, I like Johnny always. But that's just me.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 1:24am

Tim will make the movie so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 1:29am

The more I think about this the more it bothers me.
I am getting closer and closer to PLUMLAND as each moment passes.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 1:31am

Lauper auditioned for Sondheim for the new revival.

But he already promised the role to LuPone. If he was impressed with her - maybe he will try to get her in the movie.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 1:51am

my heart just sank......alot

[Plum]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 2:29am

Oh, god, I love the "he was in a band" thing. Hey, you know what? Rock singers aren't musical theater singers. They're two totally different ways of vocalizing. (And pure classical is a third, as anyone who's had the misfortune of listening to the opera singer West Side Story can attest.) For a start, rock singers don't tend to have a vibrato, don't usually need much range, and only enunciate on very rare occassions. Sweeney is a legit role; it needs exactly the opposite approach.

But you know what? For a second, I'll stretch my brain and give Depp the godlike powers some ascribe to him. Let's say he can learn to sing legit, and hit every note. That still won't make the timbre of his voice correct. He's about as much of a baritone as I am.

I'm not a canon fanatic. I'm willing to stretch on a lot of things. (I can't wait to see the current Broadway production of the show.) But Johnny Depp isn't even remotely Sweeney Todd. Even if you put aside the voice, he's about as physically imposing as a hamster. If you guys know of a movie where he somehow acts large, let me know. I'd love to see it.

[Labashier]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 2:38am

I personally would much prefer to see Depp as Anthony.

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 2:41am

i agree he is to good looking to play a fat guy wearing suspenders

[EugLoven]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:01am

AIN'T IT COOL.COM SEEMS TO THINK THEY'RE RIGHT TOO
READ BELOW:
http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22141

HERE'S MY TAKE ON IT:
Oh I'm sorry but no.
It was announced long ago that "Sweeney Todd" was going to be adapted into a musical-movie, but not by Burton. IMDB already has Mendes listed as director.

And besides, we're not kidding ourselves here. This "new news" was announced yesterday and carries little to NO truth. It's unconfirmed and no hard-core official sources, so a lot of us Bway folk aren't believing it until we see proof. We were already spoofed last week when it was rumored Stephen Spielberg was going to make a "Mary Poppins" remake based off the musical and not the Disney movie... Ergo, we're having a hard time believing this.

Tim Burton has a knack of making his movies "his own", spinning an other-wise already perfect tale to add a little of his flair. And Sondheim would not permit that. At all. Tim Burton should do this ONLY if Sondheim in on his ass the whole time. I've heard Johnny Depp had a singing gig career a while ago, but he always plays man-boys, and I cannot see him in the role of Sweeney.

This is just all too unconfirmed for me to put too much energy in it. It's bad timing too, seeing as the Broadway revival is giving this classic Sondheim all the success it needs currently.

My advice. Before you believe anything you see about a musical-movie, go to the musical first, namely, the Broadway fans, before getting excited.

We're ALLLLL over this already

Just suppose for a moment that this would be true. Sure, SOME have reason to be happy because the rumor is Burton and Depp. But can we stop for a minute, just a minute, and think about source material. This is Sondheim we're talking about. With names behind him like Lansbury, LaPone, Cerveris, and Hearn. Backed by the Great White Way. Ain't no way the Master of American Musical Theatre would hand over a project like this to Burton. No offense to Burton.

Updated On: 1/8/06 at 03:01 AM

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:04am

Sweeney is NOT a "fat guy in suspenders"
Len Cairou was a very good looking man, as is the very sexy Cerveris in the current production.
Hearn is less of "leading man" type, but that is not the only way to be Sweeney.

The question is, as Plum stated, can Depp play a dark, imposing, STRONG figure.

I am willing to give it a chance in my mind, but the imediate answer is no. Also the baritone, if they have to rewrite the music for Depp he should not be in, although some people (like me for instance) have a deeper singing/theatre voice and a higher "speaking" voice, so I guess there is a chance he could be a baritone. A very slight chance. (I am not a baritone though, I am hoping to deepen as I age.)

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:12am

i didnt mean to sound rude i love the musical i just cant see him playing that part im sorry...bad choice of words

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:14am

Ah, no problem, I am just up too late. And a bit concerned about this rumor as well.

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:19am

Ya im pretty out of it right now....so it is just a rumor?

[jo]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:19am

I am thinking like Plum on this issue.

Not Johnny Depp, please! He is not right for the role. I don't believe the casting of a movie version of this musical theatre classic should be made mostly on the basis of bankability of lead stars in certain movie roles.




Updated On: 1/8/06 at 03:19 AM

[Plum]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:24am

IMDB relies on user submissions, and is thus extremely unreliable for anything except movies that have already been released. And Ain't It Cool has been wrong before.

So what does this all come to? "A rumor from reliable sources". Let's say it's true. Fine. The Mendes story was true, too, and he's dropped the project. Development Hell can wait this one out, too.

*stokes the flames*

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:32am

if they do this movie i stongly think they should use people that have already been in the musical...johnny depp is great but i think hes a little to wellknown....i think it would be better to cast people who are known more for their stage proformances then screen proformances...it will give it more of the live show feel then the lipsinging fake feel

[Plum]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:36am

I've been fixated on seeing Shuler Hensley do the role for ages, but it's extremely unlikely.

Anyway, I think it would be a hoot if actors like Lansbury, Hearn, Cariou, LuPone, etc. could make cameos as Sweeney's victims or Mrs. Lovett's customers. Updated On: 1/8/06 at 03:36 AM

[jimmirae]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 3:54am

Thanks for the info ljay889, The film would rock with Lauper!

[dramaparoxysm23]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:59am

I think we'll have to wait til it comes out to say...

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 8:10am

Tim Burton? yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!!!
He's also give the movie a good chance at the box office.

Johnny Depp I'm not so sure about. He rubs me the wrong way for this role. He peels my bananna incorrectly for this part. He....never mind.

[Fan2]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 8:43am

This story is being picked up by a few movie sites besides AICN - here's two more, and I'm sure some more will pick up the story as Monday rolls around:

http://www4.freezedriedmovies.com/news/index.php?Action=Full&NewsID=4176

Burton and Depp reteam for 'Sweeney' movie?
Posted by: Nishinshu January 7th 11:30pm

Fresh off the chocolatey goodness 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' brought to the box office, it looks like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are about to reteam for another project. The duo are rumoured to be teaming up for a musical pic 'Sweeney Todd' based on the broadway musical of the same name. While nothing has been confirmed yet, this project would be perfect for the duo, Read on for the delightful details.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=12608

It's interesting what the people on the Sweeney Todd message board at the Internet Movie Database site have to say about this (plus there's a lot of other topics on this movie there also). Someone posted that Depp said in an interview promoting "Charlie..." that he's glad he didn't have to sing because he's not a very good singer.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408236/board/nest/33233354 Updated On: 1/8/06 at 08:43 AM

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 9:26am

Hmm... I can fully imagine Burton doing this. He can emphasize the darkly comic side of this piece, while making it EXTREMELY freaky and scary. Hopefully, he'll try to do what I mentioned above, and not make it a whimsy flight of fancy.

But Depp? I have serious doubts about this guy. He seems to play his roles a bit too school-boy like for a role like this. Ah, well. We'll have to wait and see.

[EdmundOG]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 9:46am

Anyway, I think it would be a hoot if actors like Lansbury, Hearn, Cariou, LuPone, etc. could make cameos as Sweeney's victims or Mrs. Lovett's customers.
----------------------------

I figure Lansbury as Mrs. Mooney, Cariou as Jonas Fogg, and Ken Jennings as the 'Foriegner'.

Oh, and Depp is so wrong for Sweeney, it's unbelievable. Let's not forget, Sweeney's been on an Australian prison farm for 15 years, then spent months on a raft. Ron Perlman should play Sweeney. (And Tracey Ullman should play Mrs. Lovett.)

[Fan2]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:12am

If true, a thought crossed my mind. Since Tim and Johnny did it with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - which was basically a remake of the musical Willy Wonka - would they do the same with this movie - make it NOT a musical????

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:35am

They can easily make SWEENEY TODD from one of many sources that are not the musical, all of these rumors revolve around the making of a movie of "Sondheim's TODD."

The Charlie and the Chocalate Factory was NOT a remake of the musical movie, it was a different adaptation of the book.