While I would like to see Tim Burton shy away from the obvious, it’s impossible not to be excited for his theatrical version of the classic 1960s gothic TV soap opera Dark Shadows, which would star Johnny Depp as the vamp Barnabas Collins. While the project has been in development for years now, it looks as if it might start shooting as early as next fall. “We’re actually going to shoot that film next September/October with Tim Burton and Johnny,” Producer Graham King told Sci Fi Wire. “We’ve been given a script. John August wrote the first screenplay. We’re making some changes, but the film’s going to be in production, as I say, September or October of next year.” Over 1,225 episodes, “Dark Shadows” was a highly atmospheric, spooky soap that featured gothic horror staples like vampires, monsters, witches, werewolves, ghosts and zombies.

