Helena Bonham Carter Set to Play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd Film

Demon Barber Johnny Depp now has his screen partner in Sweeney Todd: Helena Bonham Carter, longtime mate of director Tim Burton, has been cast as Mrs. Nellie Lovett, according to Variety. Shooting is scheduled to begin early next year for a late 2007 release.

Carter and Depp have appeared together in Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and provided voices for his animated film Corpse Bride, in which Carter sang the song "Tears to Shed." After her splashy 1985 big-screen debut in A Room With a View, Carter starred in a variety of films, including Big Fish, Live from Baghdad, Planet of the Apes and Fight Club. The 40-year-old actress recently completed filming the role of Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Variety also reported that internet rumors have Borat and Da Ali G Show star Sacha Baron Cohen set to play rival barber Pirelli, but DreamWorks and Warner Bros. have not confirmed that bit of casting. Screenwriter and former playwright John Logan wrote the script for the film version of the Stephen Sondheim classic.