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Johnny Depp is an iconic actor who found worldwide fame and critical acclaim through his various roles as Captain Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, and, Willy Wonka.
Being a fabulous actor, Depp had his fair share of struggles during his initial days in Hollywood. However, director Tim Burton had so much faith in himself and Depp that he chose to neglect an Addams Family movie in the works and chose to create the 1990 filmEdward Scissorhands.
Tim Burton Was Approached ForThe Addams Family
Tim Burton has often been called to direct and produce movies that are gothic in nature. Movies likeSleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands,and,Beetlejuiceare prime examples of his movies.
So it was only natural when producer Scott Rudin wanted to make a film about the Addams Family, he approached notable director Tim Burton. According to a conversation withEW, Barry Sonnenfeld talked about the directors that were there before him.
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Sonnefeld recalled the moment he was approached by Rudin to take up the job of being a director.The Addams Familywas his directorial debut but he only got the job since Tim Burton was busy makingJohnny Depp’sEdward Scissorhands.
[Rudin said to me] ‘I sent the script to Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam and they both passed. After those two, I had a choice: give it to some safe hack comedy director or take a chance on someone who might do a brilliant job. Someone who was a visual stylist.
Sonnenfeld further continued,
[Rudin said] The movie has to create a world and be amazing to look at — like Charles Addams’ drawings. So that’s why you’re here. All the good directors passed.
Well, although Tim Burton was busy makingEdward Scissorhandsand the 1992 filmBatman Returns,there seem to be more reasons why the director decided to focus on his other projects more.
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It doesn’t seem like Tim Burton’s behavior to reject an Addams Family movie but that’s what the director did. Years later in a separate interview, Burton may have finally answered why he passed up on the opportunity until Netflix’sWednesday.
Why Did Tim Burton Pass The Opportunity But Returned ForWednesday?
Although it was a personal preference ofTim Burton, there are speculations that he didn’t feel drawn to the script ofThe Addams Familythat much. As far as Burton goes, he would love some gothic drama if the script is really good.
In an interview (viaCBR), Burton talked about why he decided to agree to direct the Netflix seriesWednesday.Although Burton got to work with the Addams family after all, it wasn’t what people expected.
[The screenplay] just spoke to me about how I felt in school and how you feel about your parents, how you feel as a person. It gave the Addams Family a different kind of reality. It was an interesting combination.I’d never done something like this, you know…television.
Well, it seems to have been the right choice since Tim Burton’sWednesdayreceived a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDB and a whopping 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. On the other hand,Edward Scissorhandswent on to become one of the most iconic movies in Hollywood.
“It was like Harry Potter mixed with teenage drama”: Jenna Ortega’s Reaction to Wednesday’s Comparision With Harry Potter Goes Viral
The 1991 filmThe Addams Familyalso received great ratings of 6.9/10 on IMDB and 67% on Rotten Tomatoes but had a strong box office collection that made almost seven times more than the budget (viaIMDB).
The Addams Familyis availableto stream on Paramount + whileWednesdayis available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
Visarg Acharya
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3262
Visarg Acharya is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 3000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past three years and a copywriter at a corporation. Visarg usually covers news and theories on the MCU and the DCU, with an emphasis on Avengers and Superman; Game of Thrones, and more.A Tarantino fan, Visarg, spends his time critiquing various directors’ filmographies and watching them with curiosity. Medieval fantasy like The Lord of the Rings or sci-fi movies like Interstellar, watching the latest horror movies, and listening to Hans Zimmer become his comfort zone. When idle, he can be found reading fantasy novels with a terrible cup of coffee in hand.
