Updated 'Sweeney' Date & Poster

According to Variety, the wide release date for Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd has been moved up to December 21 in the U.S. An updated poster for the film has also been released (see image below).

From Variety.com:

Johnny Depp will be singing in time for Christmas -- everywhere.

DreamWorks and Paramount have decided to go wide with director Tim Burton's bigscreen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Sweeney Todd" on Dec. 21, versus a platform release.

Original plan was to give the film a limited bow on the 21st and then go wide on Jan. 11, the thought being that "Sweeney Todd" is less commercial and less accessible than most musicals because of its darker storyline. Along those lines, a platform opening would provide a chance to build buzz.

However, when DreamWorks execs began seeing clips from "Sweeney," they realized it had far broader appeal, particularly with Depp starring as the revenge-seeking barber of Fleet Street who uses his blade in gruesome ways to seek justice for the deaths of his wife and child.

The hope is that "Sweeney" will be the sort of signature role for Depp that Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise was.

DreamWorks and Warner Bros. are partners on "Sweeney," with DreamWorks/Paramount handling domestic. Warners will release the musical overseas. The studios believe "Sweeney" will work as a holiday pic.

Also opening wide on Dec. 21 are Disney's sequel "National Treasure: Book of Secrets"; Warner Bros.' dramedy "P.S., I Love You," starring Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank; and Sony laffer "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," penned by Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan, who directed. Limited releases include "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

"Sweeney" producer Dick Zanuck and Burton already had been pushing for a wide bow, expressing concerns that a platform release could give the impression it was an arthouse title.

At the same time, DreamWorks and Paramount aren't likely to go out with "Sweeney," which is expected to receive an R rating, on more than 1,500 screens. At least that's the thinking at this point.

Depp to Present Burton's Award

Johnny Depp will present the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement to friend and colleague Tim Burton at the 64th annual Venice International Film Festival on September 5. That date has also been declared "Tim Burton Day" at the festival, which runs August 29 through September 8.

From labiennale.org:

Biennale Cinema 64th Venice Film Festival “Tim Burton Day”: Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to Tim Burton

Some sequences of Sweeney Todd and the Digital 3D version of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas are the special events of the “Tim Burton Day”. The 64th Festival’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is to be awarded to Tim Burton by his long-standing colleague, Johnny Depp.

The screening of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in the new Disney Digital 3D version, and a world premiere of some sequences from the eagerly-awaited Sweeney Todd are the special events planned for the “Tim Burton Day”, to be held on Wednesday 5th September. On that day, Johnny Depp will hand the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to the American director Tim Burton, awarded by the 64th Venice Film Festival (29th August – 8th September 2007), directed by Marco Müller and organised by the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Davide Croff.

Two years after the world premiere of Corpse Bride on the Lido, Tim Burton returns to the Festival to receive the 2007 Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. To pay homage to one of the boldest, most visionary and innovative of American film-makers, able to charm and fascinate the widest of audiences, the Venice Film Festival has organised a special “Tim Burton Day”, to be held on Wednesday 5th September.

The programme will include not only the awards ceremony in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema, but also the world premiere of some sequences from Burton’s latest film, the cinema adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s prize-winning musical-thriller, Sweeney Todd. Sweeney Todd is co-produced by Warner Bros Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures, and stars Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jayne Wisener and Sacha Baron Cohen. The film will be released in the United States on 21st December 2007, distributed by Paramount, and in Italy in early 2008, distributed by Warner Bros Pictures Italia.

Sweeney Todd is a famous musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, first presented in 1979 on Broadway and initially starring Lean Cariou, Angela Lansbury and Victor Gaber. The musical, adapted from a theatrical work by Christopher Bond, and characterised by nocturnal, gothic atmospheres, won eight Tony Awards (the Broadway Oscars), including Best Musical. The story is set in Victorian England and is the story of a man who, using his barber’s shop as a cover, returns to London after years of absence to take revenge on those who destroyed his family. In Burton’s film, the deadly barber of Fleet Street is played by Johnny Depp, working with the director for the sixth time (the other films being Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005; Corpse Bride, 2005; Sleepy Hollow, 1999; Ed Wood, 1994; and Edward Scissorhands, 1990). The screenplay is by John Logan, who in the past produced the screenplays for Any Given Sunday (1999), Gladiator (2000), The Time Machine (2002), Star Trek: Nemesis (2003), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), The Last Samurai (2003), and The Aviator (2004). The sets and décor are by the Italian Oscar winners Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo. The film is produced by Richard D. Zanuck, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, John Logan, and Patrick McCormick is executive producer.

Depp & Burton Behind-the-Scenes

Here's a new photo of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton behind the scenes on the set of Sweeney Todd. Thanks to Guy for the photo!

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A 'Sweeney Todd' Christmas

According to USAToday, the wide release for the Tim Burton / Johnny Depp film Sweeney Todd has been moved up to Christmas Day 2007 in the U.S.

The film was previously scheduled to open in limited release December 25th and go wide January 11, 2008.

Thanks again to Guy for the info!

New 'Sweeney Todd' Pic

Thanks to Guy for the image!

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