If you haven't already been aware of it, Tim Burton has a habit of casting a lot of the same people in his movies. It's the reason Johnny Depp has been in seven of his movies and Helena Bonham Carter has been in six. Last year Michael Sheen took on the part of the White Rabbit (albeit voice only) in Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and now the director has him coming back for round two.

The Playlist has learned from unnamed sources that Sheen is now in talks to join the cast of Dark Shadows, Burton's film adaptation of the 1960s gothic soap opera. Should he sign on, he will be part of a project that already includes the aforementioned Depp and Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Eva Green, Bella Heathcote, and Michelle Pfeiffer (who is working with Burton for the first time since Batman Returns). It's unknown what role he would be playing. The film is scheduled to begin shooting next month and will be released in 2012.

Sheen is really a joy to watch in anything, so you're not going to be hearing any complaints from me about who he's playing, regardless of the character. Who knows, maybe he'll strap on his Tony Blair suit again.