Michelle Pfeiffer Wants To Remake Dark Shadows After Tim Burton & Johnny Depp’s $245M Adaptation

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Michelle Pfeiffer longs for a return to the shadows.

Michelle Pfeiffer is no stranger to dark, fantastical stories, having starred in films like Batman Returns. Her new Apple TV+ series, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which also features Nicole Kidman, is a very different world from the one she inhabited as Catwoman. However, Pfeiffer is eager to return to that darker style of storytelling, and has mentioned wanting to remake a beloved, atmospheric vampire soap opera from the 1960s – a show that Tim Burton, the director of Batman Returns, also appreciates.

Michelle Pfeiffer recently told Variety that if she could star in any TV show from the past, she’d choose the original “Dark Shadows.” While she did appear in Tim Burton’s 2012 film adaptation alongside Johnny Depp, she expressed a desire to revisit the classic serial format, saying it ‘would be fun’ to remake the TV series.

The original Dark Shadows TV show, which aired from 1966 to 1971, focused on vampire Barnabas Collins and his unusual family, quickly gaining a loyal fanbase. The show was briefly revived in 1991, but it was canceled after just 12 episodes due to poor viewership. It then returned as a movie directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins and Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the head of the family.

Tim Burton’s unique and humorous approach made Dark Shadows a financial success, earning $245 million despite a $150 million budget. However, critics weren’t impressed, finding the movie tonally inconsistent and giving it a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A second attempt to revive the Dark Shadows TV series was announced in 2019, with plans for a show called Dark Shadows: Reincarnation led by the CW and producer Mark B. Perry (known for Picket Fences). However, by late 2020, development on the show had stalled. In August 2021, Perry stated that he was revising the concept and looking for a new network to pitch it to.

Michelle Pfeiffer recently mentioned wanting to be in a new version of Dark Shadows, and this might be a subtle way of hinting at her potential involvement with Tim Burton’s unreleased project, Reincarnation. Pfeiffer and Burton have a connection through David E. Kelley, the creator of Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Picket Fences. Burton worked as a writer and producer on Picket Fences, and Pfeiffer made a brief appearance on the show.

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2026-05-29 22:37