With every new awesome image revealed of Johnny Depp in “Dark Shadows,” we feel more and more guilty about reacting negatively in our first look at his make-up in the upcoming Tim Burton film. A new shot of Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins shows him looking a bit more kid-friendly than we came to think of the character in the cult TV series, but we’re still digging the look.

Up until now, the images we’ve seen from the film have seemed to imply that Burton was taking a darker route, but could it be that “Dark Shadows” will have kid-friendly components as well? We’ll just have to wait for the first trailer to get a better sense of what the movie has in store.

When MTV News caught up with Chloe Moretz at the People’s Choice Awards, she argued that “Dark Shadows” would play to both younger and older crowds because of the way it brings together Burton-lovers and fans of the old TV show.

“I think also it’s open to the older group that actually saw the TV show back in the 1970s,” she said. “And also the new group that love Tim Burton, and they love supernatural movies and TV shows.”

Moretz added, “I think it’s a really revolutionary movie.”

“Dark Shadows” stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Moretz and Gulliver McGrath. It’s due in theaters on May 11.

What did you think of this latest still? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

- To your right is the first look at Gary Oldman as George Smiley in Tomas Alfredson’s (‘Let The Right One In’) adaptation of John Le Carre’s ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.’

- The ’80s anime ‘Bubblegum Crisis’ about a gang of female mercs raging against the robot army of the GENOM Corporation is being turned into a Live Action 3-D film directed by Anthony La Molinara. The film will be a truly international venture as production is being spread across Canadian, Chinese, English, Australian and Japanese companies.

- Tim Burton’s long talked about reimagining of ‘Dark Shadows’ starring Johnny Depp will finally start shooting next April.

- Zack Snyder insists that his ‘Superman’ will be different from previous films and that General Zod most definitely will not be the villain.

- Stephen Sommers is planning an adaptation of Dean Koontz’s ‘Odd Thomas’ book about a psychic cook who gets into (mis)adventures in the small town where he lives. The budget is set at $47 million. [via ComingSoon]

- Andrew Niccol’s (‘Gattaca) new sci-fi film starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy and Alex Pettyfer about a world where years of life have become the new currency has been retitled from ‘I’m.Mortal’ to ‘Now.’

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The eighth time is the charm. At long last, Deadline is confirming that Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton will be teaming up for the big-screen adaptation of the ’60s vampire-themed TV show “Dark Shadows” that both have been tentatively attached to for a while. And, as an added bonus, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” writer Seth Grahame-Smith is going to be penning the script for the flick.

Depp will be playing the vampire Barnabas Collins, a role he’s always been thirsty to tackle. The TV show was most popular when the 200-year-old vampire villain was introduced to its mythology, so it can be assumed that the film version will follow his story line. This will be both Burton and Depp’s first time making a vampire film (“Ed Wood” was a film about making a vampire film).

Production is set to begin in April, which looks like bad news for some of the other projects Depp has been actually and reportedly attached to. Earlier this week it was rumored that he might be the Huntsman in the upcoming action-adventure “Snow White and the Huntsman,” but that’s supposed to go into production at around the same time as “Shadows”… so it looks Snow White will need to find another badass mentor. It also doesn’t bode well for Depp’s role in Kathryn Bigalow‘s “Triple Frontier,” though Deadline said Mark Wahlberg is the likely back-up.

On the other hand, “Dark Shadows” gives us hope that our suggestion that Depp play Lincoln in the upcoming adaptation of “Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” might come to fruition. Burton is already set to produce the flick, and we already know how much he loves working with Depp. Plus, as we said before, “Lincoln” was written by Grahame-Smith, who’s now writing “Dark Shadows.” Sounds like a no-brainer to us.

Are you glad the “Dark Shadows” remake is finally being made? Tell us in the comments!

Filed under: Cinematical

‘Edward Scissorhands’ producer Scott Rudin once said, “Basically Johnny Depp is playing Tim Burton in all his movies.” Although Burton didn’t agree with the statement, Depp did — stating that their first project together centered around Burton’s teenage social awkwardness. Whether or not Burton wants to admit there’s a bromance happening between the two celebrities or not, it’s pretty obvious to the rest of us that there’s a lot of love shared between them. The duo have worked on eight films together — including the upcoming ‘Dark Shadows’ in which Depp plays the 175-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins. Their affection extends beyond film roles too — Depp is also the godfather of Burton’s son, Billy Ray Burton.

Not long after their first endeavor together, Burton — famous for his macabre visual and literary scribbles — penned a poem about buddy Depp, which eventually made its way to Roddy McDowell’s book ‘Double Exposure, Take Three’ in 1992. The book is part of a series of celebrity photographs pairing a star with a well-known acquaintance. The images seem more like caricatures due to McDowell’s candid, unglamorous style.

Burton’s poem about ” … a young man everyone thought was quite handsome, so he tied up his face and he held it for ransom,” is accompanied by a dark little drawing of a headless man pointing a gun to his head. Anyone familiar with Burton’s book, ‘The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories,’ will appreciate this demented little diddy. Check it out by clicking on the image below …

[via Holy Kaw]