Toni Collette is a GREAT choice - I can definitely see that.
I'm still on the fence about Johnny Depp - I think he's an incredibly talented actor - I just don't know about the singing and that's a pretty huge concern. I would have LOVED to have seen Kevin Kline do it - that would have been ideal for the movie, I think.
WHen I first heard (years ago now) about the movie potential, the first director I thought of was Hitchcock, but since he's dead and I don't know how he'd handle a musical, the second was Tim Burton. I think he'll do an amazing job with the material. Will it be traditional? Hell no, and that's fine. I think the Burton stamp will definitely work with the material, even if it is a different beast from the stage show. Who ever said the movie has to be a replica of the stage show? We already have two different versions of that available on DVD!
Hi, Shirley Temple Pudding.