International superstar Johnny Depp is currently having a hard time at the US box-office following the spectacular bomb, THE LONE RANGER. He’s almost completed work on Wally Pfister’s sci-fi thriller TRANSCENDENCE, which is a much-anticapted blockbuster. Now we’re hearing Depp is in negotiations for the lead role in Lionsgate‘s MORTDECAI. It’s an adaptation of the 1970s series of novels by Kyril Bonfiglioli, centred on the adventures of “debonair art dealer and part-time rogue Charles Mortdecai“, set to be directed by screenwriter-turned-director David Koepp from a script by Eric Aronson.
Koepp penned the likes of JURASSIC PARK, CARLITO’S WAY and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, but he’s failed to really make an impact since moving behind the camera. It’s the supernatural thriller STIR OF ECHOES (1999) easily the impressive stand-out, while last years Joseph Gordon-Levitt bicycle thriller PREMIUM RUSH, surprisingly sank without trace.
Both Koepp and Depp worked together on an adaptation of Stephen King short story, SECRET WINDOW (2004), that was fairly forgettable. Still, we hold out hope MORTDECAI will be something special.
Source: Deadline
