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Tim Burton Looking for More Stop-Motion with 'Night of the Living'

by Ethan Anderton
April 9, 2012
Source: THR

Every now and then people need to be reminded that Tim Burton produced The Nightmare Before Christmas and it was Coraline director Henry Selick who was at the helm of the holiday musical, stop-motion animated feature. Of course, since then Burton has gone on to direct his own stop-motion films like The Corpse Bride, the forthcoming Frankenweenie, and a new take on The Addams Family. Now it sounds like he will be at the helm of yet another stop-motion film called The Night of the Living, a new original story from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter screenwriter and author Seth Grahame-Smith.

In an interview with THR, Grahame-Smith only briefly touched on the developing project saying:

"'Night of the Living' is an idea I have had around for years that I'm doing with Tim Burton. When we were shooting 'Dark Shadows' last year I worked up the nerve to tell Tim about it because I always thought it would make a good movie. When I saw what he had done with 'Frankweenie' and 'Corpse Bride', it always struck me as a great idea for that form. I'm writing it at Warner's Bros. for him (as a stop-motion monster movie)."

No story details were given, but if I had to make a guess at the story just from the title, I'm wondering if it turns the typical zombie story on its head. More specifically, I imagine a town full of happy zombies suddenly find themselves under "attack" by a living person. Essentially, the story of Planet 51 where a human finds himself stuck on an alien planet rather than the other way around. Either way, it sounds like we might be getting the old Tim Burton back and his collaborations with a creative mind like Grahame-Smith, who also wrote Dark Shadows and is developing a Beetlejuice sequel, might have him back on top.

Filed under Development, Movie News

From around the web:

Timii

tim burton didnt just produce nightmare before christmas, he also created the story and characters, he did everything except direct the film.
BeepBeepRichie

Ok, Ethan, Tim Burton is *still* on top...and to suggest he is dependent upon Grahame-Smith's awful storytelling is absurd. "ALVH" is where cool concept meets piss-poor execution, put to rest in the coffin known as my trash can. Tim needs to pull his head out of his ass, then look at what has worked in the past and in the forthcoming "Frankenweenie." Two words, one name: John August.
http://www.firstshowing.net/ Ethan Anderton

I don't think Burton is dependent on Grahame-Smith, but I think the guy has reinvigorated the style of Burton that we used to love. He's done some great work with John August as well, but even that's a bit different than Burton's older and best work like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice.
- BeepBeepRichie
  
  My contention, though, is this: In the end, it's about *storytelling*. Something John August knows a thing or two about, having proven himself already; Grahame-Smith—not so much. My basis is from reading his first two books, glaring examples of a writer who doesn't know how to pace or build sympathy, ultimately, because his characters are dull-edged and the storyline is flat. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for changing things up—Andrew Kevin Walker's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" script was fun—but I ask you this, what makes you think SGS is capable of churning out anything better than his book material?