Tim Burton “never considered DARK SHADOWS a comedy,” he tells CinemaCon–new photos with Johnny!

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were laughing — as usual — when they took the stage at CinemaCon 2012 in Las Vegas to promote their latest collaboration Dark Shadows, but the director insists that whatever humor is in the film stems from the unique predicament in which the film’s central character, Barnabas Collins, finds himself. The director didn’t set out to make Dark Shadows a comedy. “It’s not like I’m being campy with it or anything,” Burton told MTV News. “The guy’s been locked in a box for 200 years, and [when] he comes out … something weird is going to happen.”

MTV News asked Burton directly if he felt the Dark Shadows trailer — which is very funny — is reflective of his film, which hits theaters May 11. The director conceded that there are humorous elements in the movie — “Everything that’s in [the trailer] is in the movie,” he confirmed — but he doesn’t believe the film as a whole could be classified as a comedy. “It’s a funny film for me, because I never considered it a comedy,” Burton said. “I was always trying to capture the weird vibe of Dark Shadows, which is a weird thing to try to capture.”

When MTV asked for comparisons to Burton’s previous films, Burton said he can see a link with Edward Scissorhands, his first film with Johnny; but he asserts that there are many subtle differences between Barnabas Collins and any other character he’s put onscreen. “Edward Scissorhands was more of a naive character. Barnabas has been around the block a few times,” Burton told MTV News with a laugh. “There is something about a character who doesn’t quite fit into the world, which is similar,” but in the case of Barnabas, “he’s been around a long time.”

To see photos of Johnny and Tim on stage at CinemaCon, CLICK HERE and HERE; for a portrait of Johnny alone, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks Emma for the Burton interview and Lu for sharing the beautiful photos; you can read more about CinemaCon on the Dark Shadows thread and the Lone Ranger thread on the News & Views forum.