There is more Tim Burton goodness on its way, this time in the form of a campy gothic soap opera from the 1960s. As we’d already heard, he will be teaming up with none other than Johnny Depp, but now it’s been confirmed. Producer Graham King told Sci-Fi Wire that they are “going to shoot [DARK SHADOWS] next September/October with Tim Burton and Johnny.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it ran between 1966 and 1971 and has enjoyed a strong cult following that continues to this day. It featured paranormal storylines involving vampires, werewolves, witches, and other creatures of the night, but there really are no details yet as to what the movie will be about.

A script is currently being worked out so that it will be ready in time for Burton to start filming after ALICE IN WONDERLAND is released. From the sound of it, it seems like the movie won’t be about the making of the show (which is what I was hoping for), but an extension of the show itself. I just hope that Tim Burton is able to maintain the campy, low budget, PLAN 9-esque feel of the program, despite the huge budget he’s sure to receive.

Johnny Depp will play the show’s most iconic character, Barnabas Collins. According to Wikipedia, he “is a 175-year-old vampire who is in search of fresh blood and his lost love. The character of Barnabas Collins was introduced to the serial in a last-effort attempt to resurrect the flagging ratings. The role of Barnabas Collins was originally intended to be a brief one, to run but a mere 13 weeks, but the popularity of the character and the quick spike in ratings resulted in him continuing on and becoming virtually the star of the show.”