Depp, Burton Set for Film Version of 'Sweeney Todd'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Johnny Depp is going from woozy buccaneer to murderous barber. Depp is reuniting with director Tim Burton ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") to play the title role in a film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Sweeney Todd," about a 19th century barber seeking bloody revenge over his wrongful imprisonment.
The star of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," this year's biggest hit with a domestic gross of $400 million, is expected to do his own singing, said Marvin Levy, spokesman for DreamWorks, which is co-producing "Sweeney Todd" with Warner Bros.
"Sweeney Todd" marks the sixth collaboration between Depp and Burton, who scored a blockbuster in summer 2005 with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," in which the actor played the reclusive candyman Willy Wonka.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Their other films together are "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," "Edward Scissorhands," " Ed Wood" and "Sleepy Hollow."
The filmmakers plan to start shooting "Sweeney Todd early in 2007, with the film due in theaters late next year.