Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have given us many great films over the years, including “Edward Scissorhands,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Sleepy Hollow,” and, their magnum opus, 1994’s “Ed Wood.”
More recently, Depp has been struggling to find good roles, mostly because of former wife Amber Heard’s domestic violence accusations against him. Depp had to go to court to get his good name back, but even after his victory, he is still deemed toxic and not welcomed in many circles of the industry.
During an interview at the Marrakech International Film Festival, Burton was asked about Depp and whether there will ever be another collaboration, Burton replied, “I never feel like, oh, I’m going to use this and that actor, but [with Johnny Depp] I’m sure there will be.”
Last year, Burton was asked by The Independent about Depp, but he refused to take the bait, instead comparing the actor’s controversies, and his ensuing industry shunning, to that of lynch mobs.
“Here’s the thing,” explained Burton. “When I was a child, I always had an image of the angry villagers in Frankenstein... I always used to think about society that way, as the angry village. You see it more and more. It’s a very, very strange human dynamic, a human trait that I don’t quite like or understand.”
The duo’s last project together was 2012’s gothic fantasy “Dark Shadows.” However, their four-decade friendship runs very deep. “He was a bit similar to me, kind of suburban, white trash, whatever – we connected on some kind of level,” he had told Deadline in 2022.
Burton had previously alluded to the possibility of working again with Depp, saying he’d gladly partner up with the actor "if the right thing was around." Maybe Depp and Burton’s shared disdain for Disney will bring them together again to make a fresh new original film. That’s the hope.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.