Imagine you have become a part of Burton’s world, how to be sure?
- You mother probably died, or is poor and ill, and you are sharing a room with nine brothers and sisters.
- You have an uncle who owns an unusual factory that makes dangerous toys.
- You wear a striped black and white suit and have nutty hair.
- Somewhere in the distance, you can hear composer Danny Elfman’s bells.
MTV: Did Tim Burton find a cameo for you in “Sweeney Todd”?
DD: [He laughs] I don’t think so. I haven’t heard from him. The bum! Maybe he doesn’t realize that all Italians can sing. He’ll know now!
haha Danny.... haha... here's the rest of the interview http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/09/12/danny-devito-anxious-for-kathleen-turner-to-beat-him-up-again/
The Guardian, UK
September 8, 2007
by Jason Solomons
Tim’s perfect barbershop duet
I was given an exclusive peak at the first footage from Tim Burton’s upcoming film version of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, which will be released next year. Johnny Depp was presenting a clearly delighted Burton with Venice’s career Golden Lion, incredibly the director’s first ever award from a major film festival. Depp said: ‘Tim is my favourite director. I feel very lucky to have been included in his life and in his world of cinema. He’s a true original and a true auteur, a rare breed in today’s cinema.’ The exclusive clip was then shown. It featured Depp’s Todd duetting with Helena Bonham Carter’s panda-eyed Mrs Lovett. Both were doing their own singing, and most impressively, as they powered through a dark ode to a cut-throat razor. In the brief dialogue, it seemed that Depp might just have finally got a decent cockney accent, and he held the gleaming object up like Edward reunited with his Scissorhands.
At the end, the camera flew out of the window to reveal Mrs Lovett’s pie shop and an intricate, beautiful shot over the sky line of Dickensian London. This awesome set has been designed, at Pinewood, by the legendary Cinecitta team of Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo.
By Ernio Hernandez
10 Sep 2007
Nonesuch Records — which produced the cast recording for the recent revival of Sweeney Todd — will also release the soundtrack for the forthcoming "Sweeney Todd" film. Titan Books will publish the film's companion book.
The new film, directed by Tim Burton, is slated for a Dec. 21 release. An updated credits listing reveals that Nonesuch Records will issue the film's soundtrack. A release date has not yet been announced.
Also in the works is a companion book for the film to be released on Dec. 4 by Titan Books. The hardback — penned by (the only on-set) journalist Mark Salisbury — will include "interviews with Burton and the cast and crew, extracts from the shooting script, over 200 photos, plus concept drawing and production designs," as a release states.
Following the reveal of a poster at San Diego's Comic-Con International and another shot of stars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, the place holder on the official website has been replaced with an ominous graphic of Depp (as Sweeney) at the end of a tunnel with a straight-blade in hand. A sign that flashes down into view reads, "Beware, Sweeney Todd is coming this Christmas."
Fans can currently sign up for updates on the film by visiting sweeneytoddmovie.com.
The official synopsis for the film follows: "Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller 'Sweeney Todd.' Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who 'shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again.' Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney's amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman, who portrays the evil Judge Turpin, who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge's wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber, the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.
The DreamWorks/Warner Bros. film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical is penned by John Logan ("The Aviator," "Gladiator"). Filming has completed on the film, which receives a wide opening Dec. 21.
Depp ("Edward Scissorhands," "Ed Wood") takes on the title role with Carter ("Big Fish," "Planet of the Apes") as piemaker Mrs. Lovett.
The film will also feature Alan Rickman (Private Lives, the "Harry Potter" films) as Judge Turpin, Timothy Spall ("Harry Potter") as Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat," "Talladega Nights") as Signor Adolfo Pirelli.
Rounding out the cast are Laura Michelle Kelly (Fiddler on the Roof) as the Beggar Woman, Jamie Campbell Bowen as Anthony, Jayne Wisener as Johanna and newcomer Ed Sanders as Toby. "All the stars will do their own singing from Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics," according to the announcement.
Written by Burton and Jon Logan, the movie isn't exactly what some might consider a warm-hearted holiday flick. Depp is a barber who butchers victims in his barbershop chair by slitting their throats. He sends the bodies down a chute in the floor to the home of his mistress Mrs. Lovett (Carter) who then turns them into meat pies! "The beauty of it is Tim takes chances no matter when, no matter what," says Depp, who adds that the minute his favorite director approached him, he was in.
"I started telling people that the minute I put down my Pirates sword that I was doing a musical. People thought, 'No.' I said, 'Yeah, I'm doing it.'" Depp jokes.
Burton, who admits that he's "not a huge fan of musicals, but this one is my favorite" had adapted Stephen Sondheim's classic about a crazy love story. The movie is 70 percent singing with Baron Cohen as a rival barber who Burton swears has "amazing" singing chops.
But Burton isn't exactly Simon Cowell rating the singing of his cast members. He finds more glee discussing what this film really is all about for him.
"It's a horror musical," says the director.
Want some egg nog with that?
Cindy Pearlman
August 27, 2007
Source: SlashFilm
by Alex Billington
One of the most anticipated upcoming films this winter is Tim Burton's dark musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street starring Johnny Depp. There hasn't been a trailer, there hasn't been hardly anything so far except a lone image and poster. Well the latest news today comes from SlashFilm, who has discovered that the studio executives are asking him to "butcher" his own film from a natural R-rating down to PG-13.
SlashFilm reports news from The Daily Mail in the UK that the early footage was "so extremely bloody that the studio executives have become a tad squeamish and are requesting the film to be re-cut." Apparently an insider sent some news to The Daily Mail that Tim Burton is not pleased that the studio is asking for so many cuts.
"Tim's not happy that the studio is asking for so many cuts to the cutting, as it were. The thing is, the studio really likes the film and they want to make it accessible to as big an audience as possible - which means stemming the blood flow. But that's a bit difficult for a story involving a guy who gets high slitting throats."
The film, which is based off of a Broadway musical, focus on the character of Sweeney Todd (played by Johnny Depp) who butchers victims in his barber shop chairs by slitting their throats. They're then sent down a chute via a trap door in the floor to the lair of Todd's mistress, Mrs. Lovett (played by Helena Bonham Carter ), who uses the dead bodies to make meat pies. SlashFilm describes one scene that was said to really bother the studio execs: a "ten-year-old boy cutting up body parts, which were then thrown into a meat grinder and turned into mince."
With the advent of filmmakers pushing to keep the films the way the want them, including Ang Lee's Lust, Caution making the biggest news recently, I'm really hoping the talented Burton can push to keep this the way he intended it to be. It will be a sad day if the filmmaker loses this battle, especially with this film and with someone as talented as Burton.
From ain’t it cool web-site:
What’s this? What’s this? There’s magic in the air. I just got in from The Tim Burton Lifetime achievement award ceremony. Full details on that to follow.
After the award was given to Tim, he told the crowd he was going to give us a short preview of his new movie Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter . The film opens with a style similar to the second Batman with everything having a washed out and almost black & white look. Johnny starts to speak to Helena. There’s a real sadness and despair quality to his voice. Helena informs him that his whole family has been killed. He then says my name is no longer (can’t remember) but now it is Sweeney Todd so I can seek my revenge. Helena leads him upstairs to what appears to be her apartment. There is a baby crib covered with a blanket. She tells Johnny that its ok to look. He removes the blanket to reveal a dead baby. He then covers it back up. Helena bends down to remove a floorboard. She pulls out a case covered in dust. She removes the dust and hands it to Johnny. Johnny opens it with a gleam in his eye to reveal a box full of old fashioned razor-blade style knives. The camera has a long pause on the knives. Helena informs him that the knives are all silver. He agrees to that. He pulls one out and opens it.
Johnny Depp then starts to SING!!!!!! Yes, you read that correctly. Johnny sings on camera. Not a body double. Not an animated figure. But Johnny himself. And I’m here to tell you he has a killer voice. I wish I had a recording of the lyrics for you. Johnny sings a love song to the razor blade as he holds it in his hand! The song is about how happy he is to finally have the blade in his hands for his sweet revenge. Towards the end of the song, Helena joins in and they sing a duet to a knife!!!!! The scene ends with Jonny holding the knife in his hand and he says “Now, my arm is complete!”
The camera pulls back through the window to reveal a city from the 1800s. Lights come up. The audience is stunned.
