Burton to Produce "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"

Entertainment Weekly reports that Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov have reunited to produce a film about Abraham Lincoln -- but with an appropriately macabre twist.

On Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010, New York Times bestselling author Seth Grahame-Smith released his newest novel, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Grahame-Smith also wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a gory reinterpretation of the Jane Austen classic, and will adapt the Abraham Lincoln screenplay.

Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted and Night Watch) recently produced the independent animated feature 9, which was released last year in 2009. Jim Lemley, another producer of 9, will also produce the Abe Lincoln alternative history.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter warps history by telling the story of the 16th president's secret battle with the undead -- a battle that began during Lincoln's childhood as a way to avenge his mother's murder.

Here's the trailer for the book:

"The Art of Tim Burton" Now Available

The Art of Tim Burton is now available to purchase directly from SteelesPublishing.com -- and ONLY from SteelesPublishing.com in the U.S. This book is not available in bookstores, Amazon.com, or any other online shops.

Quantities of this lavish, comprehensive book are limited. So order it soon!

Burton's Book Signing at MoMA

On Wednesday, November 18th, Tim Burton stopped by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and greeted hundreds of fans. For an hour and a half, the filmmaker signed autographs in copies of MoMA's very own Tim Burton book and the newly released The Art of Tim Burton, and chatted briefly with a swarm of enthusiasts. Though a bit overwhelmed by the crowd and chaotic circumstances, Burton seemed genuinely friendly and humbled to see such a large crowd of people who connected with his films and visions so strongly.





All images courtesy of Fuzzy Duck. All rights reserved.

Get Your Copy of "The Art of Tim Burton"!

You can now pre-order your very own copy of the lavish, comprehensive book, The Art of Tim Burton.



For those of you who may be wondering about the differences between the Standard and Deluxe editions of the books, here are the details:

The Standard edition is $69.99. The Deluxe edition is $299.99, because it includes a hand signed inside cover, a numbered and individually signed lithograph - ready for framing, not folded, and a cloth slipcase. Other than that, the Standard and Deluxe editions are identical: both contain over 1000 illustrations and 430 pages plus foldouts, and commentaries from numerous friends and collaborators of Tim Burton. Each versions usually ship in 2 to 4 weeks.



If you happen to be in New York City, you can pick up your own copy in person at the Museum of Modern Art's book store. Otherwise, you can pre-order your copy from Steeles Publishing if you're in the United States, or from Forbidden Planet if you're in the UK or Europe.

Here are some more preview images from The Art of Tim Burton:



“Alien Fighting Men,” 1981-1983

Pen and ink, colored pencil



“The Red Queen,” 2008

Pen and ink, colored pencil



“Tim With Chinese Security,” 2006

Pen and ink, watercolor

Burton created this illustration while searching for shooting locations in China for Ripley's Believe It or Not. Burton is no longer attached to the project.



“Well Endowed,” 1980-1990

Water color, pencil



“Battle Spread,” 1980-1989

Pen and ink, watercolor


A mere fragment of the expansive fold-out spread featured in the book.

Helena Bonham Carter says: "Tim's 5-year-old son [Billy Ray Burton] and he both love to draw monsters. Sometimes it's difficult to tell who drew what. And I mean that as a compliment to both."

Pre-Order "The Art of Tim Burton" Book

From TimBurton.com:

Available for pre-order this November - The Art of Tim BurtonStandard and Deluxe Edition books!

The Art of Tim Burton is the definitive compilation of forty years of Tim Burton's artistry, including film concepts and hundreds of illustrations from his personal archives, edited under the creative guidance of Burton himself. This comprehensive 434 page book is grouped into thirteen chapters that examine common themes in Burton's work, from his fascination with clowns to his passion for misunderstood monsters, to his delight in the oddities of people. Many of Burton's friends and collaborators offer their thoughts, insight and anecdotes about Tim Burton's style and artistic approach to life.

Artwork from the following films and projects are included in this book: Alice in Wonderland (2010), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride (both 2005), Big Fish (2003), Planet of the Apes (2001), Sleepy Hollow, (1999), Mars Attacks! (1996), Ed Wood (1994), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Batman Returns (1992), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Family Dog (1987), Batman (1989), Beetlejuice (1988), Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Frankenweenie (1984), Vincent (1982), and Hansel & Gretel (1982). The book also contains additional drawings from his illustrated book of poetry The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories (1997), and from The World of Stainboy web shorts (2000).

Text By: Leah Gallo, Design by: Holly Kempf, Edited by: Derek Frey, Leah Gallo & Holly Kempf

*PLUS*

Personal text contributions by friends and fellow creatives including:

Allison Abbate, Colleen Atwood, John August, Rick Baker, Helena Bonham Carter, Felicity Dahl, Johnny Depp, Danny Devito, Danny Elfman, Carlos Grangel, Ray Harryhausen, Martin Landau, Rick Heinrichs, Christopher Lee, Lindsay Macgowan, Shane Mahan, Ian Mackinnon, Alex Mcdowell, Victoria Price, Ken Ralston, Paul Reubens, Deep Roy, Winona Ryder, and Richard Zanuck.

Pre-orders will be available this November.

For more information please register in the private gallery at TimBurton.com!

Win a Special Edition "9" Movie Book

Animation World Network has a contest for you to win a special edition of the 9 movie book. Focus Features only made 999 of these special edition books, and you could win one for free. Just enter your information on the website. If you are one of the nine lucky winners, you will be informed and will receive the book encased in a uniquely numbered burlap bag. The book features a special foreward by Ray Kurzweil, behind-the-scenes art, an extensive collection of stills from the film, commentary from director Shane Acker and producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, and a DVD of the original short film by Shane Acker which inspired the full-length feature 9.

All legal residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico) who are located in the United States at the time the participate, and residents of Canada who are of legal age of majority in the province or territory in which they reside at the time they participate, are eligible to enter. The Sweepstakes runs through Sept 15th, 2009.
Void where prohibited by law.

"Alice in Wonderland" Books Coming

Two books are coming out in relation to Tim Burton's cinematic adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy: a visual companion by Mark Salisbury and a novelization of the film by T. T. Sutherland.

There is no cover art for either Alice in Wonderland books yet, but you can preorder them on Amazon.com. The novelization will be available on Feburary 2nd, 2010 and the visual companion on March 2nd. (You can also buy the two together on Amazon.)

Mark Salisbury has chronicled the life and films of Tim Burton extensively. He is the editor of the definitive Tim Burton interview book Burton on Burton, and the author of the visual companions for Burton's Planet of the Apes, Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

More "Art of Tim Burton" Samples

Tying in with the MoMA Tim Burton exhibition coming this fall, a book will be released containing loads of the director's artwork, aptly titled, "The Art of Tim Burton." The book will be a over 400 pages packed with over 1000 works of art by the visionary filmmaker, spanning across decades of his career and life.

Here are a few samples (click on them to see a larger version), courtesy of /Film:



Romeo and Juliet, pen and ink.



Untitled (Blue Girl with Skull). 1992–1999.
Polaroid, 33 x 22″ (83.8 x 55.9 cm).



Untitled (Trick or Treat). 1980
Pen and ink, marker, and collage elements on board, 15 x 15″ (38.1 x 38.1 cm).



Untitled (Frankenweenie). 1982.
Pen and ink, marker, and charcoal on paper, 11 x 13″ (27.9 x 33 cm).

"The Art of Tim Burton" Image Preview

No hint of the book's cover yet, but here are a few small samples of the art that will be featured in The Art of Tim Burton. The book will be released in the fall of this year.


Looks like the book will include plenty of never-before-seen illustrations.

Tim Burton Art Book Coming...

An intriguing bit of news came to me from Tim Burton's official website via email:

Coming Soon...

"The Art of Tim Burton"

Hardcover and Limited Edition books - Over 400 pages & 1000 illustrations!

For more information please register at TimBurton.com

More details in the future!

Special "Sweeney Todd" DVD Packages and Bonuses

IGN.com has provided some information and pictures regarding some special DVD releases of Sweeney Todd:


Best Buy: Viewers get a free movie ticket to The Ruins with the purchase of Sweeney Todd.

Suncoast & FYE: Shoppers can purchase Sweeney's limited-edition steel book packaging. (It's pretty metal, both figuratively and literally.)

Costco: Exclusively at Costco, the Sweeney Todd Fleet Street Giftset includes the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD and the lavish, hardcover official companion book, written by Mark Salisbury. With a forward by Tim Burton, the book includes over 200 photos, concept drawings and production designs, extracts from the screenplay and interviews with the cast including Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

Borders: Packed with every DVD is the abridged version of the official Sweeney Todd Companion book featuring behind the scenes shots from the film and more.


The DVD of Burton's latest film and its various promotional offerings and packages are now available in North America.

Mark Salisbury Has Written Companion Book to "Sweeney Todd"

Mark Salisbury, who has interviewed Tim Burton for the book, Burton on Burton, and wrote who the companion book to the 2005 stop-motion film, Corpse Bride, has written the companion book to Burton's upcoming Sweeney Todd.






Salisbury said, "Call me biased regarding Tim Burton, if you like, on account of my long-standing relationship with the man forged through my many years of interviewing him for my book Burton On Burton, but I'm the first to admit I disliked most of his Planet Of The Apes. That said, I love almost everything else he's made, even Mars Attacks which, to my mind, is a work of subversive genius that will, in the not too distant future, finally get the recognition it truly deserves."



He continued optimistically, saying, "There's been some carping in certain online quarters about how Burton's lost it, and about how this is going to be a disaster. Wrong. Wrong. WRONG. I'm not really at liberty to say much about Sweeney, but, take it from me, this is going to be something very special. People are going to be surprised and really blown away when they see what Burton, Depp and co are serving up this time around. Trust me."



As with the book, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride: An Invitation to the Wedding, Tim Burton has provided a foreward to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The book is to be published by Titan Books, and will be available on December 4th, 2007.