Burton to Show Clips from 'Sweeney' Film in San Diego

Tim Burton, the director of the upcoming film version of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd, will appear at San Diego's Comic-Con to show clips from the movie musical, according to EW.com. 

"From July 26 to 29, tens of thousands of devoted pop culture fans will descend upon Southern California for the largest gathering of sci-fi and fantasy enthusiasts held on this or any planet. It's been called Woodstock for geeks, but these days it's a whole lot more. The annual Comic-Con convention is now one of the most critical industry events on the calendar," states the article on the festival, which will also feature appearances by Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Robert Downey, Jr., and Ed Norton, as well as attendance by many notable producers, directors and writers.  

Sweeney Todd, as previously announced, will go in to a limited domestic release on December 21st, 2007, and open in wide release in the U.S. on January 11th, 2008.  Sweeney Todd, a co-production between DreamWorks and Warner Bros., marks the 6th collaboration between the Johnny Depp - who stars in the title role - and Burton. Production began on February 5th, 2007.

In addition to Depp, the film stars Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, Jayne Wisener as Johanna and Sacha Baran Cohen as Pirelli, as well as Jamie Bower as Anthony, Ed Sanders as Tobias, Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford, Laura Michelle Kelly as the Beggar Woman, with Christopher Lee, Michael N. Harbour, Peter Bowles, Anthony Head and Ian Burford.

Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald partner with Richard Zanuck and John Logan to produce the screenplay adaptation which is written by Logan (The Aviator, Gladiator). Paramount will distribute for DreamWorks domestically and Warner Bros. internationally.

The Broadway production of Sweeney Todd, with Sondheim's music and lyrics and a book by Wheeler based on the play by Christopher Bond, opened in 1979 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. "Its mix of the comic, the dramatic and the macabre held together by Sondheim's movie-like score has had hundreds of productions throughout the world," according to press notes. John Doyle's highly acclaimed revival (for which he won a Tony) recently played the Eugene O'Neill Theatre; Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone starred.

The story of Sweeney Todd is of a wrongfully imprisoned barber in Victorian England who sets out to seek revenge on the judge who imprisoned him. He is helped by Mrs. Lovett, who bakes Sweeney's victims into "the worst pies in London."

Photo - Tim Burton

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