Is it me or does Christopher Lee seem to get cut out of movies a lot? He was supposed to appear in Tim Burton‘s "Sweeney Todd" adaptation, but his character just got snipped out of the project.
Lee’s character of "Gentleman Ghost" is one that does not appear in the Steven Sondheim stage musical, which might help to explain why he’s been excised from the screenplay. Fortunately the actor had not yet shot his scenes, so that makes things a little easier to deal with.
"It would have been worse if I had done the scenes, but I never got to film them. It’s a shame as the lyrics were wonderful, but these things happen," is what the always-classy Mr. Lee had to say. (Fans will remember how the legendary actor was also cut from the theatrical version of "Return of the King," but reappeared on the Extended Edition that everyone watches anyway.)
Lee and Burton previously worked together on "Corpse Bride," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "Sleepy Hollow." "Sweeney Todd," which stars Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Alan Rickman is scheduled to hit theaters on December 21st.
Source: Playbill
