Last week, we debuted a couple of new images from new movie, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and now, Time (with a nod to our pals at BleedingCool) have released the first trailer for the movie. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov and stars Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jimmi Simpson, Alan Tudyk, and Rufus Sewell. It’s produced by Tim Burton so that will also give you an idea of what you might be able to expect. The screenplay comes from Seth Grahame-Smith and the movie is based on his novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter explores the secret life of our greatest President, and the untold story that shaped our nation. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) bring a fresh and visceral voice to the blood-thirsty lore of the vampire, imagining Lincoln as history’s greatest hunter of the undead.

Have a watch of the dark but brilliant trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments section. We’re loving the awesome axe wielding! There are some serious skills right there! Sorry it’s so small. Seems to be locked down by Time which is rather annoying.

Here’s a couple of brand new and exclusive images from Twentieth Century Fox’s new movie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which sounds like something we’ve made up but I assure you we haven’t! The film is directed by the man who brought us Wanted, Timur Bekmambetov and stars Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jimmi Simpson, Alan Tudyk, and Rufus Sewell. It’s produced by Tim Burton so that will also give you an idea of what you might be able to expect. The screenplay comes from Seth Grahame-Smith and the movie is based on his novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

We’ve been given these two new images from the movie which is set for release 3rd August just like the others that we’ve seen previously (see below), they really set the tone for the movie.

Absolutely love the image of the Vampire Hunter with his axe in the dark! These images are super high res so if you’re on a slow connection, be patient as they’re worth the wait. You can click them to enlarge.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter explores the secret life of our greatest President, and the untold story that shaped our nation. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) bring a fresh and visceral voice to the blood-thirsty lore of the vampire, imagining Lincoln as history’s greatest hunter of the undead.

Here’s the other images in high resolution that came out earlier in the week, again, click to enlarge.

Abraham Lincoln, lawyer, statesman, president. He lived a long and varied life but until now little has been said of how throughout his illustrious life he moonlighted as a vampire hunter, taking out the supernatural trash while keeping a steady hand on the tiller of his numerous responsibilities.

Seth Grahame-Smith’s follow up to his best-selling Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, was similarly well received and now it’s getting the Bekmambetov treatment with a big budget adaptation starring from the Russian who brought us Nightwatch, Daywatch and the bullet bending lunacy of Wanted.

Starring Benjamin Walker as Lincoln, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as his wife and Rufus Sewell as the lead vamp the line up might not be nearly as bulletproof as the concept but what a concept it is. The idea of a respected and fabled statesman going round getting covered in gore and stabbing vampires through the chest with impunity does sound like a load of fun.

I guess now we should just hope for a few more classic alternate biographies. I myself am looking forward to Franklin D. Roosevelt Werewolf Decapitator, Woodrow Wilson Super Soldier and Richard Nixon Puppy Murderer. Here’s the plot this time around:

President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.

And crush them he will, hopefully with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

Here’s a new poster of Lincoln looking suitably stately, with an axe. Click to enlarge.

Source: IMP Awards

The second of Seth Grahame-Smith’s best-selling mash-up novels, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has found better traction on its path to the big screen than his earlier novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and is currently in post-production having filmed earlier this year.

We got our first look at photos from the set back in April, and IGN have now debuted the film’s brilliant first two posters, which give us a terrific look at Benjamin Walker in the lead as the eponymous President/Vampire Hunter. (Granted, you can’t see his face to tell it’s Walker, but I’d say the axe and the top hat are a bit of a clue.)

As the posters proudly promote at the top, the film is being produced by Tim Burton and has Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Night Watch, Day Watch) behind the camera. Alongside Walker, the filmmakers have lined up a great cast with some excellent rising stars at the moment, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Rufus Sewell, and Alan Tudyk.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter explores the secret life of our greatest President, and the untold story that shaped our nation. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) bring a fresh and visceral voice to the blood-thirsty lore of the vampire, imagining Lincoln as history’s greatest hunter of the undead.”

Grahame-Smith has scripted the adaptation of his own novel for this, which means we’ll get to see two of his screenplays on the big screen next year, the first of which will mark is his feature debut with Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, due out on 11th May.

These new posters are of the lenticular variety, with one being Night and the other Day, so when you’re walking by it in real life, you’ll get twice the awesomeness in just one poster. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be with us in 3D on 2nd August next year, and here’s to hoping it’ll be one of the summer’s many great movies to look forward to. Without further ado, here are the two new posters. The handwritten signature-esque font of ‘Abraham Lincoln’ is a nice touch, like Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar. As usual, click to enlarge.

The road to making Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is proving to be a pretty difficult one to walk. Just taking a glimpse at our coverage of the film so far, and it’s easy to tell that it’s been having some trouble for a while now, both in finding its leading lady and its director.

Numerous actresses, including Natalie Portman, Emma Stone, Blake Lively, and Scarlett Johansson have been circling the lead role, but all have ultimately passed on the project, and the same thing has been happening with its directors.

David O. Russell was initially going to be the one behind the camera, and then the job went to Mike White and Russell exited, and after White’s exit, Craig Gillespie came on board back in April this year.

But no more. Deadline are reporting that Gillespie himself has decided that it’s not going to be the film for him. His exit was on good terms with the studio, and was related to things like the casting of the film. Nonetheless, it looks like Lionsgate are pretty much back to square one with this – if not minus a few steps, given how much trouble it’s been having – and fans of Seth Grahame-Smith’s original novel, based of course on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, will likely still have some time to wait before the adaptation arrives on the big screen. You can look forward to seeing his other adaptation, however, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, next summer.

With the director’s chair now empty for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, though, the search is back on for both the leading lady and the director. More news as and when we get it.

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, the adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s New York Times bestseller, seems to have had an impossible time of getting off the ground, with so many different leading ladies and directors thought to be joining the project, only to later decide against it.

The latest in the list of leading ladies to have been offered the part was Blake Lively, best known for her role in Ben Affleck’s The Town, Green Lantern, and of course Gossip girl. But news now comes from Latino Review that she too has ultimately decided to pass on the part of Elizabeth Bennett, zombie-fighter.

Previous names that have been attached to the leading role include Emma Stone, Natalie Portman, and Scarlett Johansson, all terrific actresses, just like Lively. But despite the novel’s success, the film is having a really hard time moving forward. It’s been in the works for more than two years, but still nothing seems concrete with the project.

As such, it’s possible that this might be one project that lingers in development hell and ultimately never gets made. But we shall see. Craig Gillespie, now signed on to direct the film, found only moderate success at the box office with his remake of Fright Night this year, despite getting good reviews, so it will be interesting to see whether he’ll stick with this project and push hard to find another leading actress, or decide to move on and find something more likely to get ahead. More news as we get it.

We got our first photos from the set of Tim Burton’s next film, Dark Shadows, last month and they gave us a brief glimpse at Johnny Depp’s return to the gothic world of Burton’s mind as Barnabas Collins, an eighteenth century man-turned-vampire dug up in 1972.

The first official photos from the film have now surfaced over at Empire, and they give us an interesting look not just at Depp’s character, who in fact looks rather different from the set photos, but also show us the rest of the cast looking fantastic in their costumes too.

The film, based on the 1960s TV series of the same name, revolves around Depp’s character, Barnabas:

“In 1752, the Collins family sails from Liverpool, England to North America. The son, Barnabas, grows up to be a wealthy playboy in Collinsport, Maine and is the master of Collinwood Manor. He breaks the heart of a witch, Angelique Bouchard, who turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. In 1972, Barnabas is freed and returns to find his manor in ruin. It is occupied by dysfunctional descendants and other residents, all of whom have secrets.”

The script for Dark Shadows is written by Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, both of which are being adapted for the big screen. Grahame-Smith has said of the film’s setting in 1972,

“Tim and Johnny took a long time explaining exactly why it had to be 1972. 1969 was too early and 1973 was too late. 1972 is right at the time when the hippie movement and all its peace and love is dying out and being replaced by this  me-me-me generation in the ’70s who are all about showing their wealth and having everything.”

Definitely interesting stuff. Along with Depp, the terrific cast includes Eva Green, Christopher Lee, Jackie Earle Haley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Johnny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, a cameo from Alice Cooper, and of course, frequent collaborator of Burton and Depp’s, and Burton’s partner in real life, Helena Bonham Carter.

These fantastic new photos give us a look at the majority of this cast, and show Depp in the first photo looking a little different to how we first saw him in the set photos. His hair is looking particularly excellent in this, and with Depp having a way of bringing such different characters to life, I’m always eager to see what his next performance is going to be like. Dark Shadows is due to come out on 11^th May next year in the States, and we can hopefully look forward to a similar release date here in the UK. Without further ado, here are the new official photos to enjoy. As usual, click to enlarge.

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, the parody novel of Jane Austen’s 1813 original by Seth Grahame-Smith, has found its lead actress, offering the role of Elizabeth Bennet to the  rising star, Emma Stone, THR report.

The role was originally to go to Natalie Portman, but Portman eventually decided that she would serve only as a producer on the project, and after talk of Elizabeth to be played by Mia Wasikowska or Anne Hathaway, Stone has instead emerged as the favourite for the film, and the role is now hers for the taking.

Fans of Stone’s will of course remember that this wouldn’t be her first role in a zombie film, starring in 2009′s zombie comedy, Zombieland, as Wichita, alongside Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin. It was a role that really put her on people’s radars after gaining popularity in the teen comedy, Superbad, two years earlier. Both the original novel and Grahame-Smith’s parody are set in England, so whether or not we can expect to hear Stone sporting an English accent awaits to be seen. She’s shown already in her career how much energy she brings to her characters, which is what Elizabeth will need to thwart the zombie infestation.

The film is to be directed by Craig Gillespie, director of Academy Award-nominated Lars and the Real Girl, whose Fright Night remake will be coming to our cinemas at the start of September this year, starring Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Whilst a zombie comedy is very different to what Gillespie’s worked on prior to Fright Night, the fact that DreamWorks entrusted the remake of Fright Night to him shows that he must be capable of taking on these projects.

As much as I would have loved to see Natalie Portman holding her own against zombies in early 19th-century England, I am a big fan of Emma Stone’s too, and can’t wait to see her take on this role. It’s been a busy couple of years for Stone since the success of Zombieland. She was exceptional in the lead in last year’s Easy A, which was the best John Hughes-esque film I’ve ever seen that wasn’t made by the writer-director himself. And we can look forward to seeing her in Friends With Benefits; Crazy, Stupid, Love.; and The Help, all by the end of this year. She’s also earned the lead female role in the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man as Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s love interest, which is due out in July next year, and after now being offered the lead in Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, 2012 and 2013 are looking to be just as busy and just as successful for the rising actress as the past few years have been. If you ask me, it’s very much well deserved.

“No thanks, let’s go and see that other one where Romeo and Juliet are garden gnomes”.

Being turned down yet again, I concluded it was going to be impossible to persuade anyone to come and see Rowan Joffe’s remake of the British iconic classic, Brighton Rock.  When asking anyone if they wanted to go, the responses ranged from complete apathy to deep suspicion by those who loved the 1947 adaptation of Graham Greene’s original novel.  The critics were also unenthusiastic; the Guardian described it as “not unenjoyable”, Mark Kermode concluded it was “an interesting idea” and Little White Lies called it “staggeringly forgettable”.   With such a feeling of indifference why should  Brighton Rock be given another chance?

Fundamentally the plots of the two films are the same.  Pinkie Brown, here played by Sam Riley (Control), is head of a protection racket operating in Brighton.  After committing a murder, a young waitress called Rose is implicated and Pinkie, driven by his Catholic guilt, goes to extreme lengths to avoid the gallows.  The story focuses on their relationship as Pinkie’s hateful manipulation contrasts against Rose’s naïve devotion.  Pinkie is pursued by Ida Arnold, a woman with Rose’s interests at heart, and Mr Colleoni, the leader of a rival gang who is looking to absorb Pinkie’s racket into his own gangster dealings.  Joffe stays faithful to this narrative and his remake doesn’t suffer for it.

The key adaptation here is Joffe moving the setting from the back streets of inter-war Brighton to the 1964 Brighton sea front.  A quick history lesson if you haven’t seen Quadrophenia: in 1964 British youth culture was blooming as young people began earning their own money and enjoying a new independence.  Working-class subcultures developed, notably the Mods and the Rockers.  There was fierce rivalry between these two social groups leading to a notorious month of violent clashes in May 1964 on Brighton sea front.  This triggered a national moral panic around younger people as the media contributed to a heightened frenzy around these emerging “folk devils”.

Joffe’s remake uses this historical setting as the backdrop for Pinkie’s demise.  The idea is a clever one.  Richard Attenborough’s portrayal of Pinkie in 1947 was unnerving because of his baby face whilst committing amoral acts.  Joffe has taken this element and developed a new narrative.  The surrounding characters have been made older (Ida is played by Helen Mirren, to give you an idea of age), which creates a parallel between the threat of the younger Pinkie and the Mods and Rockers.  As Pinkie’s plot unravels, the camera flashes to media coverage of the time and the fears surrounding these young “folk devils”.  This is a strong premise which is far more creative and inspiring than most other film remakes.

The older details of the story aren’t squeezed to fit around the updated setting.  For instance, in the 1947 adaptation Pinkie’s bracket operates at the local racecourse.  In Joffe’s 2011 remake, Pinkie’s dealings operate through betting shops, such as the one owned by Phil Corkery, played by John Hurt.  It’s a smooth and stylish transition that adds to the story of Pinkie’s crimes rather than detracts from it.

Brighton in 1964 is a blank canvas for breathtaking cinematic moments.  John Mathieson’s cinematography captures a crumbling post-war Brighton compared to the throngs of holiday-makers in the 1947 original, and makes Joffe’s Brighton Rock a very attractive piece of cinema.  Shots of Pinkie escorting Spicer on a scooter surrounded by a mob of Mods is particularly memorable, while Pinkie making a desperate escape as the Mods and Rockers kick several shades of black and blue into each other is a great cinematic climax.

In this sense, Joffe’s re-situating of the story has succeeded where many film remakes fail: it avoids the fatal error of feeling pointless. The historical situation is as vital to the story as it was in the original, which is a testament to the strength of this adaptation.  With upcoming remakes and reboots this year including Footloose, which will no doubt enjoy commercial success, it is tragic that genuinely innovative films such as Joffe’s Brighton Rock will pass so many people by.

I’m not going to pretend this film is a masterpiece.  It has it’s problems including clunky pacing, undeveloped characters and a potentially implausible scenario (no more so than the 1947 version though), which don’t make it a completely satisfying experience.  However, it is well worth watching as the cast provide fine performances and as I have already mentioned, the cinematography is stylish and compelling.  So as we prepare ourselves to watch a stream of pointless remakes such as Cliffhanger, Joffe’s Brighton Rock reminds us that sometimes remakes can be as creative and enjoyable as the originals they aspire to.

This installment of ‘In Defence Of…’ was written by Sam Lewis. You can follow Sam on Twitter here.

Deadline are reporting that Craig Gillespie is soon to begin negotiations to direct the film adaptation of the New York Times bestseller, Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, written by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen. (Obviously not in tandem with each other, with the latter’s original novel being published almost two centuries ago. I just like that she’s credited as an author on the front cover.)

I have to admit that I’m yet to read the novel, but its additions of zombies to the original plot is certainly intriguing, and Grahame-Smith seems to have created a market for himself where virtually none existed beforehand, which is always nice to see.

The Lionsgate adaptation of the novel has had some slight trouble over the past year and a half since it was first announced. Natalie Portman was first reported to be taking the lead role, but has since decided to stay on only as a producer. David O. Russell was then tipped to direct, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. As such, Mike White was hired to direct, but he too had to leave because of scheduling conflicts. And so now it looks like the job will finally go to Craig Gillespie.

Gillespie made his feature debut with Lars And The Real Girl back in 2007. Though the film did not do well enough at the box office to make back its initial investment (falling shy by about $800,000), it did earn itself an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and it put Gillespie on the radar. His latest movie, Fright Night, is currently in post-production, and is set to be released here in the UK on 2nd September. We posted the first few stills from the movie a few days ago, and they look pretty interesting. I’m a big Anton Yelchin fan, so I can’t wait to see how that film turns out.

Having been entrusted by DreamWorks with the Fright Night remake, I think there is every reason to expect he will excel at the helm of Pride And Prejudice And Zombies. With such popularity among readers already, there is certainly the potential for it to be adapted into a very successful film. Grahame-Smith’s other popular novel, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, is similarly being adapted for the big screen, and is due out in 2012, and will almost certainly only serve to increase the audience for when Pride And Prejudice And Zombies makes it into our cinemas.

Chloë Moretz, by far one of my favourite child actresses of all time, has been  in talks to join Tim Burton’s upcoming remake of the 1960s TV soap opera, Dark Shadows.

Moretz’s dramatic rise to fame came, of course, with last year’s Kick-Ass, in which she superbly played Hit Girl / Mindy Macready, daughter of Nicolas Cage’s Big Daddy / Damon Macready. Her role in the remake of the Swedish horror film Let The Right One In (retitled Let Me In for the American film) demonstrated a different side to her than was evident in Kick-Ass. For me, her roles in both truly prove her fame and recognition to be  well deserved.

The film will be a gothic horror, focusing on the life of Barnabas Collins, a 200-year-old vampire, and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves, and ghosts. Moretz will play the daughter of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), the reclusive matriarchal figure of the Collins family. Moretz will be joining an already great cast, as is to be expected of any Tim Burton-directed film, with Johnny Depp talking the lead role of Barnabas, Eva Green (Casino Royale) taking the lead female opposite him, and Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns) and Jackie Earl Haley (Watchmen) starring alongside too. It is also expected that Helena Bonham Carter, Burton’s wife, will be attached to the film too, now a reasonably safe prediction for both her and Depp.

The script was originally to be written by John August (Corpse Bride, upcoming Frankenweenie), who has collaborated with Burton on many films now, but it is instead going to be written now by Seth Grahame-Smith, writer of the novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, both of which are being turned into films at the moment.

Given Moretz’s extremely impressive performance in Let Me In, a film in which she plays a young vampire child, I think there is every reason to expect another excellent role from her in Burton’s latest project. A supporting role in a Burton film can only help her already blossoming career, so I really hope that she gets it. Before then, she will be seen Martin Scorsese’s Hugo Cabret, which is due out at the end of November this year. For a fourteen-year-old girl to be able to say she’s starred in both a Martin Scorsese and a Tim Burton movie really is something.

Update: And now it’s just been confirmed! The Wrap have it that it’s no longer just talks, Moretz has officially joined Dark Shadow’s cast, which is brilliant. I truly can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.

Now that the seemingly endless flurry of casting news seems to have died down, it’s time for shooting to begin on Timur Bekmambetov’s adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s story and so it has.

If you’ve been in a cave for the past few months, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter follows Abe’s efforts to rid the world of vampires. Think of it as artistically embellished historical fiction.

The two shots below give us a good taster of some nice period details, with the usual grime, boots and long frock coats all present and correct.

With shooting now firmly underway, we can hopefully expect some slightly more official on-set publicity stills and of course we’ll keep you up to date with all of those developments.

Source: On Location.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) has been cast as Mary Todd in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, a role that had reportedly been awarded to Robin McLeavy (The Loved Ones).

Winstead will star opposite Benjamin Walker (Kinsey), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) and Dominic Cooper (Tamara Drewe) in the adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s mash-up novel.

President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.

Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is attached to direct, with production expected to start soon.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be released on August 22, 2012.

Winstead will next be seen in The Thing.

Source: THR

Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) is in talks to star  in 20th Century Fox’s upcoming horror-thriller Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Mackie will star opposite Benjamin Walker (Kinsey), and possibly Dominic Cooper (Tamara Drewe), who is believed to be in contention for a major role.

Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is set to direct a script from Seth Grahame-Smith.

President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be released on August 22, 2012.

Mackie will next be seen in The Adjustment Bureau, opposite Matt Damon (Hereafter) and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada).

Source: Deadline & Variety

Eva Green (Casino Royale) has landed the lead female role of Angelique in Dark Shadows, Warner Bros. Pictures’ adaptation of the 1960′s supernatural TV show.

Green will star opposite Johnny Depp (Rango), who was cast as Barnabas Collins last year. Jackie Earle Haley (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Bella Heathcoate (Now) are also in talks to appear.

Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) will direct from a script by Seth Grahame-Smith.

Dark Shadows is fantastical horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts.

Green will next be seen in the romantic thriller Perfect Sense, alongside Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting).

Source: Deadline

For an actor, playing the part of a famous historical figure has often seen as high integrity gold, but few could have predicted this.

Over the coming fortnight, a plethora of talent – ranging from the established to the comparatively unknown will be screentesting for the chance to play the title role in none other than Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

With Adrien Brody, Benjamin Walker, James D’Arcy, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Josh Lucas all stepping up for the part, it’s clear to see that the project is in high demand, despite – or perhaps because of – its delicious absurdity.

Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith novel (who also wrote the script), 20th Century Fox’s blood soaked tale is a re-imagining of the respected President’s biography that functions by adding the minor detail that old honest Abe was in fact a skilled vampire slayer, determined to take revenge on the ghouls after they took his mother’s life.

Set to be directed by Timur Bekmambetov (who cut his fangs on Night Watch) and produced with help from Tim Burton and Jim Lemley, the film has drawn no shortage of big names and is slated to be released in Summer 2012. Only in Hollywood.

Deadline reported this story.

According to Pajiba, James McAvoy (Atonement) and Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs) have been added to the list of potential actors being considered for the feature film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies combines Jane Austen’s 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice with elements of zombie horror fiction.

McAvoy and Hathaway – who previously starred together in Becoming Jane – join Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2) and Bradley Cooper (The Hangover), who have also been linked to the adaptation in recent weeks, as potential candidates.

Mike White (Year of the Dog) is attached to direct, after replacing David O. Russell, with Natalie Portman (Black Swan) on board as producer.

Johnny Depp’s next film will be the big screen adaptation of the gothic TV series Dark Shadows.

Set to be directed by Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland) for Warner Bros., Dark Shadows will see Depp and Burton’s reunite for their eighth feature film together.

According to THR, Depp has been cast as Barnabas Collins, a vampire living in a Maine manor who is searching for his lost love.

Seth Grahame-Smith penned the most recent screenplay.

Production is expected to commence in April 2011 for a late 2012 release.

20th Century Fox have triumphed over rival studios Paramount, Sony, Universal and Summit Entertainment and secured the rights to the feature-film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

The synopsis for the film is as follows:

When President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, Lincoln’s passion is fueled to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.

Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be directed by Timur Bekmambetov, his first film since 2008′s Wanted. Tim Burton is on board as executive producer. Production on the 3D adaptation will commence in March 2011.

Expect casting details to be revealed in the next couple of weeks.

Deadline reported this.

Russian fantasy export Timur Bekmambetov has been chatting to Empire about his future plans.

He lists many potential projects (included a long in gestation sequel to Wanted) but the one he’s currently moving forward on is the intriguing titled Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, which come from a novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, the author of the similar genre twisting Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (also currently in the process of being adapted into a film).

The novel Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter is written as a series of documents, presented as an alternative biography of the 16th President, based on the premise that he maintained “secret diaries” upon learning from his father Thomas Lincoln that vampires were in fact real creatures.

Bekmambetov is promising that the film will be a “very entertaining, epic history lesson for millions and millions of teenagers. If you remember Nightwatch, it is maybe in the vein of that kind of movie.”

I hope kids don’t take it too literally, but this does sound like a fun and unique project.