Burton conceived the idea for Edward Scissorhands from his childhood upbringing in suburban Burbank, California. During pre-production of Beetlejuice, Caroline Thompson was hired to adapt Burton's story into a screenplay, and the film began development at 20th Century Fox, after Warner Bros. passed on the project. Edward Scissorhands was then fast tracked after Burton's success with Batman. Before Depp's casting, the leading role of Edward had been connected to Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Robert Downey, Jr., and William Hurt, while the role of The Inventor was written specifically for Vincent Price, and was ultimately his final performance on film.

When it came to cast the lead role of Edward, Fox was insistent on having Burton meet with Tom Cruise. "He certainly wasn't my ideal, but I talked to him," Burton remembered. "He was interesting, but I think it worked out for the best. A lot of questions came up." Cruise wanted the ending to be "happier". Michael Jackson then lobbied hard for the part, but was unsuccessful. Tom Hanks turned it down in favor of The Bonfire of the Vanities. William Hurt and Robert Downey, Jr. both expressed interest, and were considered.  Though Burton was unfamiliar with Johnny Depp's then popular performance in 21 Jump Street, he had always been Burton's first choice.  At the time of his casting, Depp was wanting to break out of the teen idol status which his performance in 21 Jump Street had afforded him. When he was sent the script, Depp "wept like a newborn" and immediately found personal and emotional connections with the story.

In preparation for the role, Depp watched many Charlie Chaplin films to study the idea of creating sympathy without dialogue.  Fox studio executives were so worried about Edward's image, that they tried to keep pictures of Depp in full costume under wraps until release of the film.  The genesis of Edward Scissorhands came from a drawing by then teenaged director Tim Burton, which reflected his feelings of isolation and being unable to communicate to people around him in suburban Santa Clarita Valley, California. Burton stated that he was often alone and had trouble retaining friendships. "I get the feeling people just got this urge to want to leave me alone for some reason, I don’t know exactly why".

Johnny Depp Reportedly Wants To Return For Edward Scissorhands Sequel

Over 30 years since it was first released and Edward Scissorhands still remains one of the defining roles of Johnny Depp’s career, and that’s without even mentioning the huge fanbase and following it possesses. The actor’s first movie with Tim Burton led to two decades’ worth of off-kilter collaborations that would largely define the filmmaking aesthetic and cinematic personas of both men.

It was Depp’s first lead performance in a major studio project, and saw him land a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, while it hauled in a decent $86 million on a $20 million budget, instantly establishing itself as a firm cult favorite in the process. And this week, insider Daniel Richtman is offering the intel that the fallen star wants to return for an Edward Scissorhands sequel, but the tipster doesn’t divulge much more than that.