Hi all,
Here is the a new announcment I saw on MSN:

Casting News: Burton and Depp Together Again

Although not officially announced, rumors are flying that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are teaming up again for the movie version of "Sweeney Todd." Sources close to the Hitlist confirm the story. The musical about a demon barber who slits the throats of his customers recently returned to Broadway in a critically acclaimed production. The original 1979 production won Tony Awards for Best Musical and individual awards for composer Stephen Sondheim and stars Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury (yep, that one). The biggest question is whether Johnny Depp can handle the singing chores. "Todd" verges on opera so the musical requirements are more difficult than your typical big-screen adaptation. The picture would be the sixth collaboration between Burton and Depp, but when it will actually occur is unknown. A screenplay has been completed by Oscar-winner John Logan ("Gladiator"),

I heard about this but had no idea that Johnny Depp might be involved.

Thanks for sharing :-)

Not sure about Depp singing but I think Tim Burton cuold definately do justice to this. Though Depp has pleasantly surprised me before.

I have no idea about his singing.

I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan... but I've grown sick of seeing him.

Johnnythisjohnnythat.

The media should get over it. Although it may seem like it, JD isn't the only good actor in the world.

Yeah, where was the media before PotC came out. Chocolat was a fantastic movie and he was a pirate in it, but no coverage there. We just know him as Willy Wonka.

Sounds awesome. Burton is the pefect director for this. Anyone see "Sleepy Hollow"?

Sleepy Hollow = LOVELOVELOVE.

This is certainly interesting... but I have to admit, I really, really can't see Johnny Depp anywhere at all in this movie, and I've never been all that fond of Tim Burton. Oh, well, he has a unique touch, so if anything like this happened it should be... interesting.

Did Johnny Depp sing in Corpse Bride? I never got around to seeing that one. Maybe that could tell us something (though I think the singing in that is probably much different than anything in Sweeney.)

I saw it a few weeks ago, and I don't remember him singing in it, although there were several songs in it. A surprisingly good movie, though.

I can't really picture Johnny Depp in the Sweeney Todd movie either, though he's certainly given us some surprises before, and he is a great character actor.

I loved Depp in "From Hell". Sleepy Hollow is great as well. He looked verrry cute in that movie!

I still need to see Corpse Bride as well. And I never saw Willy Wonka... I hated the original and just couldn't stomach the thought of Depp as a pervert in a purple jacket.

He's certainly... weird. I don't like either of the movies, really, they're a bit too off-the-wall for me. But Corpse Bride is awesome, I saw it twice, the animation is great.

I've always loved "Willy Wonka" (Gene Wilder was awesome in that movie... "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker...") :lol: I really like the new one too, but, like you said, Depp was really weird. Still cool, but weird.

According to my friend, she heard on the radio that Alan Rickman is supposed to play Judge Turpin in the movie.

Yes, Rickman said he would be in the movie. I am excited by that. I am intensely worried about this one, at the same INTENSELY looking forward to it. I didn't know Johnny was a singer, I didn't know Helena was either. All I care about is that they don't butcher Sondheim's masterpiece.. and then bring in Danny Elfman to do a heap of other stuff.

But... Burton is FINALLY doing theatre. He was almost going to do the BATMAN musical...

I don't know anything about how well Johnny Depp can sing, but I have a hard time imagining that he would do anything and not give it as much as he can. I'm sure if he doesn't have the vocal training already, he'll make sure he gets it before filming.

I don't think I've ever heard Alan Rickman sing, for that matter. But I guess I'll just trust the good actors until I hear a reason that I shouldn't.

I know very little about this musical, but isn't it quite operatic??

That worries me a little, as I don't know about Johnny's singing (though I remember seeing a clip years ago of him in some kind of cult musical... Think it's called Cry Baby or something similar) and Helena, well I've only heard her sing on Corpse Bride, and I'd be very surprised if either of them came out with two spectacular opera voices... Though it would be nice :D.

It's really not operatic. Sonheim music varies from show to show but is generally tough, quality musical theater. The Sweeney score is deep and potent and will require a dark and menacing Sweeney to sing it and play it. I'm hoping Depp is up for it.

He certaintly will not be able to YO HO his way through this one without the public slitting his throat over it (pun intended).

Johnny didn't do his own singing for John Water's Cry Baby, although he was in a rock band for years.

I can't wait! I loathe Johnny Depp with a fiery hatred, but, Helena Bonham Carter is awesome. Any collaboration between the two and Burton seems like it shall turn out wonderfully.
Besides, I love Sweeney Todd.

I loved From Hell!! It had an awesome plot for the Ripper murders.
Also, I thought that Johnny looked like a pedophile in his jacket and goggles and everything... Creeeepy. :blink:

LOL I can't even TELL my friend that I like that movie, if she ever saw this msg she'd go nuts at me lol. I don't like the original "Willy Wonka" all that much, I thought this film did it so much better.. and everything about it, I just really, really like it. Depp does frighten me, but I like the fun and pathetic way he approaches the role and I know (creepily enough) most of the lines off by heart. I also LOVE, LOVE LOOOOVE the Oompa Loompa songs. The Mike Teevee one is the BEST

A movie poster and one image from the film has just been released on the web. It seems as if Burton has captured the atmosphere of Sweeney Todd. It reminds me of Sleepy Hollow.

Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett

Sweeney Todd Poster

It seems that Burton has struck the gore cord a bit too hard, according to this announcement.

Actual Article

I've seen the live production twice, once on Broadway and once in Philly....and personally I don't think they really need to turn this into a blood bath.

The staged show is a dark masterpiece with a macabre tone laced with some twisted humor. A brilliantly written score and some of the most intriguing acting I've seen...typical Sondheim at his best. It's so much more than a bloody horror story...and I hope they don't lose that by turning this into a "shock flick" just to capture the grungy goth group audience. Sweeney should be a show/film that you walk away saying Wow!deep, sad, intense!...and not "EWWWWW Gross"!

I'm not excited about the gore either. I GUESS it works with the subject matter BUT true horror (to me) has always been the illusion of horror. I HATE gore, it's so cheap and tacky and pathetic. THINK how good "Pan's Labyrinth" would have been without the gore

Bumpy bump. Has anyone seen this yet? Go into details. I want to know as much as I can if you have.

Yep, I've seen it twice and I'll probably go back for a third time. It was quite good.

I wasn't a Sweeney Todd fan until I saw the movie, despite having seen two live productions (and being cast in one for this spring). The person I actually enjoyed the least was Johnny Depp.

The person I enjoyed the most was Sacha Baron Cohen.

In the spirit of not wanting to spoil it for anyone... feel free to PM me if you have any further (specific) questions :-)

I haven't seen it, mum won't let me, grrr, but my boyfriend saw it, and he loves it. He got me the soundtrack, and I actually think Johnny Depp did a good job. I really didn't think it was going to work, and I am a HUGE Johnny Depp fan. I think he's an amazing actor, not to mention the most gorgeous person ever to walk the face of this earth. But anyway, I digress.

I had heard the Broadway recording, and watched the one that they filmed, with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury, and I loved it. I think Johnny and Helena lived up to that OK. It worked for me, at least.

I saw it in chinema, and i'm going to buy it as soon as it gets realeased at the Danish DVD marked.

as ekspected from Burton, (whom i'm a great fan of) it's a beautifull movie, with allot of grotesk humor, like the musical, I haver never ever laughed as much in a chinema as i did under "By the sea" Depp was just freaking hillarius in that bathing suit lookin all gloomy and Helena being all optimistic, i just coulden't stop laugh, i really coulden't

Lovett: Don't you wanna know

Sweeney:....... Yeas (a very icy yeas)

Lovett: do you really wanna know?

Sweeney: ... yeas...I....Do (in the most grumpy way ever

Well jonnhy isn't the most trained singer in the world, and I can hear that, but he suddenly isn't bad and he got allot of potential if he ever wanted to become a singer, the greatest thing is that he really sounds like himself, and have so much emotions in his songs, even thoug he isn't a singer, Helena bohman carther on the other hand.... I just can't stand her voice, there is nothing speciel about it, it's just sadly normal and littlegirl sweet like, what really really bugs me with her is that she got three songs with a hugh amount of energi, and she sings legato with that sweety little voice of hers, and steal away to much energi of the songs geeesh. her voice were good for tears to shed from corpse bride, non of mrs lovetts songs, i'm sorry but that's how i feel.

and on of the best thing in the movie, all the blood, it was a blood feast hehehe, in a good way, but i must confess, i wonder just how much blood burton accually think one mans body can contain 0_o

Heh... yeah, this post is coming really late from me. :lol: I saw the film twice in theatres -- once last December, on Dec. 26th, and once this past January. My 2 cents... I adored it; it was even better than I had expected, and considering it was a Tim Burton/Stephen Sondheim collaboration for my favourite stage show, my expectations were pretty high.

I thought Johnny Depp did a fantastic job in the lead role; though he's an untrained singer, I thought his voice fit the role more than the stage Sweeneys I've seen or heard. Helena Bonham-Carter... well, I've always preferred over-the-top Mrs. Lovetts (a la Angela Lansbury or Julia McKensie), but she made the "understated" approach work well. The supporting cast was brilliant as well; especially Alan Rickman as Turpin, Jayne Wisener as Johanna, and Ed Sanders as Toby. And I thought the blood and gore was perfectly done -- not too much, but not cartoonishly absent.

Sweeney Todd is now my favorite musical film. Certainly, my love for the stage show has a lot to do with that... but I get the feeling that even if I had never heard of the stage version, I'd still have loved the film; it really seems like it's right up my alley. I hope Frank Wildhorn and the team he's assembling for the Jekyll & Hyde film are paying attention to this one!