Random Fascinating Stories From Making Of 'Edward Scissorhands' (13 items)

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  (#10) Burton Originally Conceived Of The Film As A Musical

  In the early stages of development, director Tim Burton wanted Edward Scissorhands to be a musical. He thought the more bizarre and fantastical elements of the story would be more believable to audiences in song form. Screenwriter Caroline Thompson told Variety that in her original treatment for the film, there were actual musical interludes, including lyrics. One of the songs was called "I Can’t Handle It."

  Ultimately, Burton decided against the idea, which Thompson believes "better served" the film. She also admitted that she "wrote some really bad lyrics" in the first pass. 
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  (#7) Several A-List Actors Were Offered The Titular Role

  Johnny Depp, who had been pigeonholed as a teen heartthrob thanks to his role on 21 Jump Street, was not director Tim Burton's first choice to play Edward. Fox wanted a big name, like Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks, to draw in bigger audiences. Other big names, like Robert Downey Jr. and Jim Carrey, also became interested in the film. Burton, however, wasn't keen on casting a well-known actor, and after seeing Depp's work, he was sold.

  Even after he was cast, Depp was afraid that other actors who had been put up for the role, like Tom Hanks, would come in and replace him. He recounted how he thought he'd be fired two weeks into filming Edward Scissorhands:

  I can remember when we were doing Scissorhands we were living in this sort of resort, some kind of country club thing, and there was a knock on the door... one afternoon while everyone was off rehearsing. There were two young girls at the door and I thought, 'Oh, they found me and maybe they want me to sign something, I don't know.'

  So, I opened the door and said, 'How do you do?' and they said, 'Hi. Is Tom Hanks here? Does he live here?' I said, 'What? No. Not yet.' And I was convinced that Hanks would be replacing me. I was convinced. It was one of the most frightening moments in my career.
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  (#5) Michael Jackson Was Eager To Play Edward

  According to the Los Angeles Times, Michael Jackson eagerly pursued the titular role in Edward Scissorhands. It didn't pan out for the pop star, reportedly because director Tim Burton didn't get back to him, but Jackson was clearly still a fan of the film.

  Jackson had the scissors that actor Johnny Depp sported during filming. He even hired screenwriter Caroline Thompson to write a film of his own to star in, but it never made it past development. 
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  (#4) Tom Cruise Lost The Role Because He Was Obsessed With How Edward Went To The Bathroom

  There were a lot of big-name stars considered for the role of Edward Scissorhands, including Tom Cruise. Unfortunately for Cruise, his need to know the literal ins and outs of the character ended up costing him the part.

  Screenwriter Caroline Thompson told Dazed about his particular process:

  [Cruise] wanted to know how Edward went to the bathroom. He was asking the kind of questions about the character that can’t be asked for this character! Part of the delicacy of the story was not answering questions like, 'How does he go to the bathroom? How did he live without eating all those years?'

  Tom Cruise was certainly unwilling to be in the movie without those questions being answered.
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  (#9) Thompson Partially Based Edward On Her Dog

  Screenwriter Caroline Thompson revealed an intriguing piece of trivia to Variety while discussing the film on its 15th anniversary. "Edward’s character was based on my dog. People love their dogs, so just think of him as the best dog you ever had!," she said. 

  Thompson explained why she based Edward Scissorhands on her Border Collie to Pop Sugar:

  Edward was based on Tim. It's kind of a love letter to Tim, but most of his attributes were based on my dog. I had this beautiful Border Collie mix when I was in college. When I was 18, I took this dog to college with me and she had a presence and a character. I swear to God if she had a larynx, she would've talked. I mean, she was that involved in my success. She was everywhere I was, sitting next to me and enjoying everything I was enjoying, but not able to quite do it because she was a dog. And that's how Edward is. He's just sort of like, 'Uhhh, OK I want to be here, but how?'
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  (#1) Edward Originated As A Drawing Tim Burton Made As A Teenager

  When screenwriter Caroline Thompson first met director Tim Burton about Edward Scissorhands, all he gave her was a drawing of the titular character he created as a teenager. From this, Thompson dreamed up the character so adored by fans today.

  Burton opened up to The Guardian about how his teenaged creation took shape as a full-fledged film protagonist:

  [He] was based on a feeling of touching and communication, and I, I, I've gotten better at all that, but if you're lonely, you can grow up and have 20 million friends and be Mr Touchy-Feely, but you still have that feeling because it doesn't leave you. So I think it's those things you think you're exorcising, but you don't, really. Some feelings never leave you.

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