The first trailer for Tim Burtonâs Dark Shadows is set to premiere later today, but in case thatâs just too darn long of a wait, quite a few new images have popped up online to whet your appetite. Theyâre most likely screengrabs from the trailer, but they do give us a better sense of what weâre in for. Itâs been unclear as to whether Burtonâs take on the cult soap series would skew dramatic or comedic, but I'm hearing the trailer hints at a strong comedic tone. These images seem to support that assessment, as Burtonâs usual flair for color and whimsy is on full display. We see Burton staple (and wife) Helena Bonham Carter sporting some goofy sunglasses, and Johnny Depp as the vampire Barnabas Collins curiously studying some dinosaur toys ("What is this sorcery?!"). The plot concerns Collinsâ awakening after having been buried for 200 years.Hit the jump to check out the images, and be sure to come back later today to take a gander at the trailer. The film also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Moretz, and Eva Green. Dark Shadows opens May 11th.Hereâs the official synopsis for Dark Shadows:
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feetâor at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboyâ¦until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.
Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.
Also residing in the manor is Elizabethâs neâer-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Rogerâs precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and Davidâs new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.
Images via Kino Gallery.
Update: We've just posted the first trailer and for Dark Shadows. Click here to watch.