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Where does Elfman fit in all of this?
January 7, 2006
Exclusive: Tim Burton & Johnny Depp Team For ‘Sweeney Todd’
By Andrew Hartman, MovieMusicals.net
Status: Rumor From Valid SourcesAccording to anonymous sources, director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp, who together have worked on five major motion pictures including ‘Edward Scissorhands’ and more recently ‘Charlie & the Chocolate Factory,’ will team once more for the upcoming movie musical adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd.’
Depp will portray title character Sweeney Todd – the demon barber or Fleet Street – who slits the throats of his innocent (and not-so-innocent) customers.
As of last year, Sam Mendes (‘Road to Perdition,’ ‘Jarhead’) was rumored to be the frontrunner to direct, however he left the project shortly after ‘Jarhead’ opened in theatres.
It is unknown if Burton will opt to use the existing John Logan screenplay adaptation, or start from scratch. Therefore, a release date cannot be predicted at this time.
‘Sweeney Todd’ first opened on Broadway in 1979 which starred Len Cariou, Angela Lansbury, Victor Garber, and Ken Jennings. The show is currently on Broadway in its second revival, starring Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris. The show features a score by legendary composer Stephen Sondheim who in his career has earned eight Tony awards, including Best Score for ‘Sweeney Todd.’
An official announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
Eh. I’m not a big fan of Broadway, and it’s true, would Danny even be involved? I’m just looking forward to “Believe it or Not.”
Well, we know Elfman hates Broadway music !
The question is, will Burton re-use the songs (and/or score) from Sondheims musical, or will he only use the story and ask someone else (hopefully Elfman) to compose new music ??
I don’t know… Frankly, I’d hate to go see a Burton movie containing Broadway music, and I really can’t imagine Burton loving Broadway musicals…
Even if Elfman is not part of it, I really hope Burton won’t use the original music!
Eric
Not another Burton/Depp team-up…
I like them both…especially when they work together, but I don’t want it to get too stale too fast…I wouldn’t really call “Sweeney Todd” a typical Broadway show. It’s closer in nature to an opera. I don’t see where Elfman would be involved in this apart from the possibility of a score adaptation. “Sweeney” is almost entirely sung through.
I don’t see where Elfman would be involved in this apart from the possibility of a score adaptation.
Oh, no, no. I imagine Danny starting from scratch, like he did in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Yeah, but if this is an adaptation of the Sondheim musical, I don’t see where there would be room for more than fifteen or so minutes of score. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was an adaptation of a book that happened to have been filmed once before. “Sweeney Todd,” though based on an updated telling of an old-fashioned melodrama, already has it’s musical sound set in stone. And like I said before, “Sweeney” is almost entirely sung through. I just don’t see how Elfman would fit in all this.
I’m also curious as to how Depp will handle Sweeney if this news is true. Sweeney is one of the most notoriously difficult parts in all of musical theatre in terms of singing. Anyone know if Depp is a baritone? Christopher Lee is apparantly a trained bass and, if Burton’s involvement can be believed, would make a wonderful Judge Turpin. Helena Bonham Carter would make a brilliant Mrs. Lovette.
For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, go to Amazon.com and order either the cast recording or the DVD. And buy “Into the Woods” and “Sunday in the Park with George” while you’re at it. If you hate all of the cliches of musical theatre, you will love Stephen Sondheim.
What I’m suggesting is that Elfman would write new songs for the film, replacing the old, like he did for Charlie. After all, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a musical, too.
“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” might have been a musical, but it wasn’t an opera. Burton was not working from that movie, he was working from the book. If Burton is indeed interested in adapting the musical “Sweeney Todd,” I don’t see why he would choose to throw out the most celebrated element, i.e. Sondheim’s contribution. If Burton threw out the Sondheim songs, that would require 80 percent of the show to be rewritten from scratch. The article says he’s interested in adapting the musical to screen. Why would he adapt the musical and wish to throw out everything that made it a musical?
Please, buy yourself the DVD. You’ll see why throwing out the songs would be impossible.
Also, sorry if my post seems hot-headed. I’m just a huge fan of “Sweeney” and don’t see how Burton would gut it like that. If you thought there was an uproar from “Planet of the Apes,” wait until you see the reaction for “Sweeney.”
Also, sorry if my post seems hot-headed.
Nah. Your response has been reasonable and evenhanded.
I’m just a huge fan of “Sweeney” and don’t see how Burton would gut it like that.
Well, if you’re not going to do something noticeably different, I’d just say leave it alone.
If you thought there was an uproar from “Planet of the Apes,” wait until you see the reaction for “Sweeney.”
Wasn’t the uproar from Planet of the Apes mostly due to filmmakers replacing the undercurrent and subtext from the original with action and a rocky plot?
RCox Wrote:
> > I’m also curious as to how Depp will handle
> Sweeney if this news is true. Sweeney is one of
> the most notoriously difficult parts in all of
> musical theatre in terms of singing. Anyone know
> if Depp is a baritone? Christopher Lee is
> apparantly a trained bass and, if Burton’s
> involvement can be believed, would make a
> wonderful Judge Turpin. Helena Bonham Carter
> would make a brilliant Mrs. Lovette.Well, as you’re probably aware, it’s possible to have someone other than the actor do the singing bits and then synch it all up afterwards (Elfman did just that on NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS).
I don’t see this as a Burton/Depp/Elfman project at all. But hey, I’m glad to be proven wrong.
RCox Wrote:
> Yeah, but isn’t rare for that to be done in a live
> action film?I don’t know how common it is. But I know that it was done on the original PORGY AND BESS film musical, for example.
If someone were to replace Johnny Depp’s vocals in Post, I wonder who would they choose? If only there were a singer close to Burton — a music man of sorts — that could supply lead vocals. Hmm.
Wouldn’t they just have Depp sing and then replace the raw audio tracks with someone else — or Depp himself — in post-production?
Man, this is such old news – Burton was linked to this movie after ED WOOD, then he vanished from the project. I see it’s rearing it’s ugly head again. Frankly, I can see him doing a version of the Sweeny Todd strory (their is a low-budget film out their I believe from the 60’s) bu the idea of doing the Broadway musical seems so anti-Burton. And whatever happend to that BATMAN broadway play he was supposedly to direct? Exactly. I say this is all fluff….
Bring on BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
Frankly, I just hope he stays away from remakes. I was dreading the thought of Burton linking himself to John Augusts remake script of BARBARELLA he wrote for Drew Barrymore’s film company years ago. I hope that film never gets made…
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