You may already have seen the first trailer for Tim Burton’s latest gear-change: Big Eyes, a real-life story of art, deception and the marriage that was destroyed by it. If not, it’s lurking at the bottom of the page. The poster has just arrived online courtesy of Yahoo.
Big Eyes chronicles the story of Walter and Margaret Keane, who became known in the '50s and '60s for crafting one of the first mass-marketed art sensations. Their huge-eyed artwork was sold in petrol stations and small stores around the US. In a sexist twist reflecting the age, it was Walter alone who became famous for the pictures, parlaying the fiction that he created them into TV talk-show stardom. But it was Margaret who actually did the work, and claimed her share of the profits when she and Walter divorced. To prove her ownership in court, the judge ordered a paint-off between the pair.
This has been a passion project of Ed Wood writing team Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, who harboured dreams of directing it themselves. But after a long development process that saw versions, including one starring Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds, come and go, they put that aside when Burton boarded the project. It’s drawing early awards buzz and may be in the conversation once Oscar chatter is in full swing.
Big Eyes, which also stars Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Krysten Ritter and Terence Stamp, will arrive here on December 26.