We haven't heard much about Sweeney Todd since it was announced that Johnny Depp would be starring in Tim Burton's feature film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's horror musical. I'm still holding out for word that Helena Bonham Carter will play Mrs. Lovett.
In the meantime comes word from Production Weekly that Sacha Baron Cohen, soon to take American audiences by storm in his neon green swimsuit in Borat, is in negotiations to play Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Todd's competitor in the barbering arena.
Interestingly, Pirelli was not an initial character in the Sweeney Todd legend. Playwright Christopher Bond created him for his 1973 play, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which Sondheim used as the basis for his musical. Bond wanted a way for Todd to be able to show off his barbering prowess, and so he created the character device of Pirelli. Pirelli's attempt at blackmailing Todd is what sets off the demon barber's initial killing spree, and we can assume that Signor Adolfo ends up becoming the filling for the first (of many) of Mrs. Lovett's meat pies.
Also of note is that Cohen will most likely play the role with a fake, pseudo-European accent, which adds yet one more role to his career of being typecast as the guy who does the fake funny accents.
