A new Edward Scissorhands Cadillac commercial starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Edgar Scissorhands was well received on Sunday by Super Bowl audiences, including original filmmaker Tim Burton. Released in 1990, Edward Scissorhands was one of Burton's early hits; he's since released many films and is currently working to develop an Addams Family TV show. The original film was well received, grossing nearly $86 million from a $20 million budget.
The fantasy romance starred Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands, an artificial human with scissor blades as hands. When Edward is taken in by a suburban family, he falls in love with their daughter Kim Boggs (Winona Ryder). Ryder reappears in the Super Bowl ad as an older version of Boggs, who is now a mother to young Edgar Scissorhands played by Chalamet. Ryder's voiceover states, "This is the story of a boy with scissors for hands - no, not that one," in a clear reference to the original movie. Throughout the commercial Edgar struggles through his adolescence with scissors as hands, only to be surprised with the perfect gift: a hands-free Super Cruise Cadillac.
Speaking to The LA Times, Burton approved the creation of the Super Bowl ad stating, "It's rare when a work you're proud of continues to live on and evolve with the times, even after 30 years." Burton additionally stated, "I'm glad to see Edgar coping with the new world! I hope both fans and those being introduced to Edward Scissorhands for the first time enjoy it." Ryder shared Burton's sentiment and shock at seeing Chalamet in costume as Edgar commenting, "It was quite a moment. Very surreal...I was really blown away by him and everyone's work putting the character together. He is suvh a beautiful guy, so talented, so incredibly kind and unique. Really the perfect person to embody that character." Chalamet was just as excited for the collaboration sharing that he grew up, "an enormous Tim Burton fan."
Chalamet, Ryder, Burton, and Scissorhands fans alike praised the ad across multiple social media platforms. Chalamet's photo on Instagram as Edgar managed to have 3.4 million likes before the ad even debuted. Twitter users echoed cries that choosing Chalamet to play the son of Kim and Edward is nothing short of perfect casting, some claiming it's the best casting choice there will ever be. In fact, some responses have called for a sequel to Edward Scissorhands starring Chalamet.
It's a rarity for a classic film like Edward Scissorhands to still hold its integrity in a reimagining, especially one that comes roughly 30 years after the original. Ryder's involvement in the commercial, Burton's praise, and Chalamet's uncanny resemblance to Edward, have left all Burton fans fully satisfied. It's unclear what kind of inspiration the ad might conjure up, whether Burton or other filmmakers will be inspired to do a proper sequel. Nonetheless, it's good for this particular Edward Scissorhands commercial to have Burton's stamp of approval.
Source: LA Times