Movies
Variety Leaves Hope For Depp’s ‘Dark Shadows’
While the LA Times reported that this long-gestured project was D-E-A-D, a new report in Variety confirms that Dark Shadows is alive and well over at Warner Bros. Pictures (yay!). They write that Depp’s company “Infinitum Nihil also is working with GK Films and WB on a film transfer of “Dark Shadows” that will have Depp playing Barnabas Collins.” While it might not happen any time soon, it’s still nice to know that something could happen eventually. Over 1,225 episodes, “Dark Shadows” was a highly atmospheric, spooky soap that featured gothic horror staples like vampires, monsters, witches, werewolves, ghosts and zombies. The show has a continuing rabid fan base that populates Dark Shadows Festival conventions.
The first plot details have finally arrived for Netflix’s upcoming feature adaptation of Gears of War, and it sounds like it’s venturing into prequel territory.
Matt Booty, Xbox’s executive vice president and chief content officer, provided EW with more insight into the feature adaptation while speaking on the state of Xbox at its 25th anniversary, revealing that it’s set before the video games.
Netflix’s Gears of War will tell “the origin story of Delta Squad, a ragtag crew of soldiers who wage a desperate war for survival against the Locust, a race of subterranean creatures set on destroying humanity,” according to the official description.
“The game really is about the bonds between teams. It’s about brotherhood at its core,” Booty told EW. “When you go visit the studio, their tagline is ‘Never Fight Alone.’ So when you think about that for a dramatic narrative, it’s a pretty good starting point.”
Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Doctor Strange, Dune) pens the new adaptation, with David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Bullet Train) set to direct.
The 2006 game is set “on a planet on the brink of societal collapse when a monstrous threat in the form of underground creatures known as the Locust take humanity to the verge of extinction. Delta Squad, a ragtag fireteam led by disgraced sergeant Marcus Fenix, is now charged with leading humanity’s last stand.”
The game’s popularity launched a franchise that includes several spin-off and sequel games, comic books, and novels. Gears of War: E-Day, the sixth game in the main series, will arrive as an Xbox console exclusive on October 6.
Netflix acquired Gears rights back in November 2022 with grand plans for the IP; the streamer hopes to also launch an animated series.