This weekend marks the release of Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows," and for his updated take on the creepy '70s soap opera, he's cast -- no surprises, here -- Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

This will be the eighth time Burton has worked with Depp ("Edward Scissorhands," "Ed Wood," Sleepy Hollow," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "The Corpse Bride," "Sweeney Todd," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Shadows"). Carter, meanwhile, has worked with real-life partner Tim a total of seven times, starting with 2000's "Planet of the Apes," moving onto "Big Fish" and then becoming the inseparable third component of all ensuing Depp-Burton collaborations.

If you're in the business of making big-budget fantasy blockbusters, then it's natural to keep working with your best friend and the mother to your children (especially if it's creatively fruitful). However, it's time to mix things up. "Dark Shadows" looks cool and Depp and Carter are fine, but the final product is a boring, sluggish mess of a story that doesn't do nearly enough with the premise. Following the slump that came with their all-style, no-substance rendition of "Alice," it's clear the director needs time away from his two favorite actors, to work with fresh blood who will get his creative juices flowing again.

What is required to be the star of a Tim Burton movie? You need to be willing to take on bizarre, macabre characters. His casts do not operate in bleach-blond sunny California worlds; they're gray and dreary and require a gothic disposition. Below is a list of 12 actors that could fit right in with Burton's pale-faced world and provide a much-needed jolt of energy.

PHOTOS:

Loading Slideshow

• Tom Hiddleston

  This trickster is noted for playing fantastical characters with Shakespearean grandeur. Plus, <a href="http://news.moviefone.com/2012/04/30/the-avengers-tom-hiddleston-interview-loki_n_1465569.html" target="_hplink">he really knows how to rock a cape</a>.

• Marion Cotillard

  The French ingenue is prone to playing unforgettable beauties that haunt men's dreams.

• Cillian Murphy

  The Irish lad has a smoldering -- if slightly creepy -- commitment to character. And he's up for pretty much anything on camera.

• Jennifer Connelly

  Whether she's sharing the screen with Muppets, Rocketeers or tragically-doomed lovers, Connelly has been an unmistakable raven-haired beauty.

• James McAvoy

  When he's not taking on sweeping tales of love and death, this dashing gentleman has a sweet tooth for fantasy.

• Tilda Swinton

  The eternally cool and totally idiosyncratic leading lady has a daring personal style that matches her unflappable acting presence.

• Ezra Miller

  The young acting sensation just got past his teenage years and he's already an avant garde presence, thanks to risky character choices such as Kevin Khatchadourian in "We Need to Talk About Kevin."

• Saoirse Ronan

  Despite her youth, Ronan has built up an impressive collection of roles ("Hanna," "Atonement") that are wise beyond their years.

• Lee Pace

  Before he gets set to take on the worlds of "Twilight" and "The Hobbit," Pace built up a cult following with quirky performances on TV shows like "Wonderfalls" and "Pushing Daisies."

• Karen Gillian

  The model-turned-actress has captured geek hearts as Amy Pond, the companion to Doctor Who.

• Noel Fielding

  The glam rock sketch comedian from BBC's "The Mighty Boosh" loves to get slathered in make-up and play some weird, <em>weird</em> creatures.

• Emilia Clarke

  The silver-haired would-be-royalty of "Games of Thrones," has already mastered dragons in the world of Westeros; she wouldn't be caught off-guard by any of Burton's eccentricities.