Burton, Depp and Sweeney Todd

When I heard this news, my first thought was that I couldn't remember how long it had been since I actually liked a Tim Burton movie.

Turns out it was quite recently, with the ubercool "Corpse Bride," but his dour, disastrous "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" left a bad taste in my mouth that has unfortunately managed to linger.

Depending on which Tim Burton shows up, however, this new project may be just the confection to erase that from my memory. Teaming up once again with Johnny Depp, Mr. Burton is soon to begin production on "Sweeney Todd," with Depp bringing Stephen Sondheim's Demon Barber of Fleet Street to the big screen for Christmas 2007.

Now, I must confess, I've not seen the musical, which is enjoying a strong revival on Broadway at this moment. However, the thought of Johnny Depp as the wrongly imprisoned barber out for revenge on the streets of Victorian England just makes me smile wickedly.

I think the X factor here will be Danny Elfman. Surely Mr. Burton must have learned something by now from his series of rather miserable remakes. Here he has a classic Broadway musical to work with. If he lets the Elfman butcher this (anyone else have nightmarish visions of that CGI-cloned little man singing his awful oompa-loompa songs in Charlie, or is it just me), this could be a train wreck.

Mr. Burton is just as capable of inspiring wonder ("Pee Wee's Big Adventure," "Big Fish") as he is of sucking all of it off the screen ("Charlie," "Planet of the Apes.") Let's just hope the former Mr. Burton shows up for this potentially very funny project.

Walken and "Hairspray"

Speaking of Broadway, "Hairspray" was the last true Broadway spectacle I have managed to see ( I've since seen the sublimely silly "Putnam County Spelling Bee," but that hardly qualifies as a spectacle.) I had a blast at "Hairspray," but I just can't get excited one bit for the movie currently being made of it (especially since John Waters' original is a true American classic that hardly begs to re-created on the big screen.)

This morning, however, I got the the first bit of good news about this project. Christopher Walken has apparently stepped into the role of Tracy Turnblad's practical joke-loving dad, replacing Jim Broadbent.

Walken possesses the manic spirit that might make yet another version of "Hairspray" work, but the rest of the cast just leaves me flat. I just can't see perky little Amanda Bynes proudly declaring "I'm a checkerboard chick!" or John Travolta and Michelle Pfieffer managing to have any fun at all with this.

Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the Tony-winning tandem that wrote the "Hairspray" score, are on board, at least, and will be writing several new songs for the movie. Here's hoping beyond hope that this somehow all works when it comes out next summer.