Tim Burton Assembles Dark Shadows Cast

And guess what? His wife is probably in line for a part in the vampire movie, along with Michelle Pfeiffer

According to Deadline , “Michelle Pfeiffer is in talks to play Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. And while talks haven't begun yet, I'm told Helena Bonham Carter is in line to play Dr Julia Hoffman.” Pfieffer previously appeared as Catwoman in Burton’s Batman Returns , and Bonham Carter had successful casting couch sessions for her hubbie’s Sweeney Todd and Alice In Wonderland .

Dark Shadows , which originally ran from 1966 to 1971 (there were various TV remakes) was a soap about a governess taking up employment in a spooky old mansion, which introduced the vampire Barnabas Collins when ratings were flagging and then became a huge success. The series subsequently became weirder and weirder, at one point even involving time travel. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (the Pfeiffer role) is the matriarch of the family that owns the mansion (which she never leaves) while Dr Julia Hoffman (Bonham Carter’s role) is an expert in the field of psychology and rare blood disorders, who is called in to investigate the odd goings on at the mansion.

Deadline also reports that Eva Green is set to play a witch called Angelique, Jackie Earle Haley is playing the conman Willie Loomis and Bella Heathcoate is playing Victoria Winters, the young governess of the Collins estate.

Dave Golder
Freelance Writer

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.