# Burton & Depp to make Sweeney Todd. Hmmm... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180 "2006-08-18T02:20:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/21 "2006-08-18T14:00:35Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] And isn’t it _obvious_ who Burton will cast as Mrs Lovett? Helena Bonham-Carter, of course. [/QUOTE] That’s what I think, also. What I’d love to see- Tim Burton’s Sondheim’s SWEENY TODD done Stop-Motion-Animation style with Todd voiced & sung by Christopher Lee! ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/22 "2006-08-18T14:19:05Z")
[QUOTE=FriarTed] That’s what I think, also. What I’d love to see- Tim Burton’s Sondheim’s SWEENY TODD done Stop-Motion-Animation style with Todd voiced & sung by Christopher Lee! [/QUOTE] Maybe ten or fifteen years ago, that would have been great. I don’t think Lee’s voice would be up to that any more, though. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/23 "2006-08-18T16:54:09Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] And isn’t it _obvious_ who Burton will cast as Mrs Lovett? Helena Bonham-Carter, of course. [/QUOTE] You’re likely correct about that. Although I like Helena Bonham-Carter, I see the same problem casting her as Mrs. Lovett with Depp cast as Todd: they’re both too young for their parts. While it’s true HBC just turned 40, she still comes across as too girlish for a role like Mrs. Lovett who has mostly been portrayed as a woman well past the age of 50. ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/24 "2006-08-18T18:50:17Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] It turns out the historical person was more of a Depp figure than a Cariou type. [/QUOTE] Ahem. There was no historical Sweeney Todd. He is completely fictional and legenday with no historical basis whatsoever. The Crime Library article you linked to is just a travesty, as it’s taking the word of a highly discredited author whose claims have been shown to have been totally baseless. This is the Straight Dope, so it had to be said. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/25 "2006-08-18T19:19:49Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] And isn’t it _obvious_ who Burton will cast as Mrs Lovett? Helena Bonham-Carter, of course. [/QUOTE] Agreed. He’ll cast that home-wrecking wench of his. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/26 "2006-08-18T19:32:05Z")
Why are people worried about Johnny Depp? The man is one of the greatest living actors. He can pull anything off. Burton, now… when was the last time Tim Burton didn’t make a movie that was not either A) terrible, or B) just a rehash of something he’s already done? His being different seems to keep him going. In the last ten years he’s made _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow_, and _Planet of the Apes_, all astonishingly terrible movies that should rightfully have ended his career, and yet he plows along. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/27 "2006-08-18T19:40:01Z")
[QUOTE=baronsabato] I’m definitely excited for a film adaptation of one of my favorite Sondheim musicals, but Johnny Depp? I don’t know. He seems too young and pretty for the part, not to mention that I just don’t see him singing “Epiphany” without making it ridiculous (“They ALL deserve to die! Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett, tell you why!”). [/QUOTE] See, I can totally see him doing Epiphany (assuming he could sing it) and also being one of the people who can flip the switch from “I’m alive at last and I’m full of joy!” to talking about piccolo player being piping hot. He’s also the right age for Todd. I’ll see it. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/28 "2006-08-18T20:16:29Z")
One of my favorite Broadway shows with an incredibly talented star? I’m there. Though I think it would have been interesting had they cast whom I saw in the Kennedy Center production, Brian Stokes-Mitchell. I’ve never heard Depp sing, but he’s always interesting to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/29 "2006-08-18T21:00:55Z")
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness] Not only that, but BUrton’s version was far, far closer to the original than Wilder’s version. Daniel [/QUOTE] Well, yes and no; I know this is hotley debated, but I saw both movies before I read the book and then I did a chapter-by-chapter comparison [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=334100&highlight=wonka+depp+wilder) (that, sadly, I never finished posting to, although I did finish reading the book). Both movies changed things from the book. Most notably, the Burton movie significantly altered _the character/behaviour/mannerisms of Willy Wonka himself_; at the very least, both works are equidistant from the book. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/30 "2006-08-18T21:37:58Z")
My wife and I went to New York a few weeks ago specifically to see the revival production, and she had nothing but praise for Michael Cerveris and Patti Lupone (who, despite being visibly tired, pulled out the stops admirably when they needed to come out). I’ll take her word for it. What I noted myself is it’s a truly challenging score. I know that’s a redundant statement with Sondheim, but even a fool like me can tell it requires a rarely gifted vocalist to even remotely do the part justice. I find it difficult in the extreme to believe Depp is even in the orbit of the planet of talent needed to make this anything but a travesty. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/31 "2006-08-18T21:59:53Z")
No thanks. I like Johnny Depp. I think he’s a great actor. I just don’t think he’s a great actor in Tim Burton movies. I’m also entirely tired of Tim Burton’s schtick. I get it. He’s gothy. It’s a shame because Big Fish was a tremendously enjoyable movie and showed that Tim Burton doesn’t need to be twee to make a good film. I should’ve known it was too good to last. I’ll wait for the previews to come out before I write this off completely, but I’m far from optimistic about it. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/32 "2006-12-12T21:57:02Z")
Update - It looks like Alan Rickman has been cast as Judge Turpin. And, as predicted, Helena Bonham-Carter will be playing Mrs. Lovett. **Dan Norder** , I’ve seen two possible originations of Mr. Todd - one was supposedly based off of a series of newspaper serials in the 1800’s, and another was that it was based off of an actual court case. Sounds like a case for our dear Cecil. 😃 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/33 "2006-12-12T22:45:26Z")
[QUOTE=Esprix] Update - It looks like Alan Rickman has been cast as Judge Turpin. [/QUOTE] Ooooh. Ahhhh. I’m hanging out to see this! I’ve seen a few different versions on stage, and am open to a bit of non-traditional casting. Yay for the resurgance in movie musicals! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/34 "2006-12-12T23:44:19Z")
[QUOTE=Esprix] And, as predicted, Helena Bonham-Carter will be playing Mrs. Lovett. [/QUOTE] Oh Heck. I was (darkly) joking when I said that - I didn’t actually think it would happen. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/35 "2007-06-04T16:01:41Z")
Finally turned up some photos of Depp in character costume: [http://elfman.filmmusic.com/forum/read.php?7,26603](http://elfman.filmmusic.com/forum/read.php?7,26603) ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/36 "2007-06-04T16:11:01Z")
[QUOTE=vivalostwages] Finally turned up some photos of Depp in character costume: [http://elfman.filmmusic.com/forum/read.php?7,26603](http://elfman.filmmusic.com/forum/read.php?7,26603) [/QUOTE] Mmm-MMM! Gotta love that Elsa Lanchester/Astroboy hair–rest of him’s looking fiiiine, though… (For a minute here I thought it was Braaaaain Piiiiieee time… 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/37 "2007-06-04T17:26:49Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] I like the stage show. Not sure Depp has the right look for the part. Has he got the vocal chops to sing it? [/QUOTE] I dunno if he can sing it, but I can definitely see Depp as the vengeance-obsessed mad-eyed barber. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/38 "2007-06-05T01:27:33Z")
I see that Sacha Baron Cohen is slated to appear in the film, as well… Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/39 "2007-06-05T05:40:58Z")
[QUOTE=MacSpon] I see that Sacha Baron Cohen is slated to appear in the film, as well… Hmm. [/QUOTE] As Pirelli the barber. And as Singing Ghosts- Christopher Lee and Anthony Stewart Head!!! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180/40 "2007-06-05T10:47:32Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] **43** isn’t considered middle aged anymore? [/QUOTE] And if you see him when he isn’t all made up, nobody would take him for 30. In _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ he looked so… flatskinned we wondered if it was makeup or airbrush. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burton-depp-to-make-sweeney-todd-hmmm/369180.md?page=1)