After hitting a snag, Johnny Depp has now been confirmed to play the notorious gangster Whitey Bulger, recently sentenced to life in prison, in the upcoming biopic Black Mass. Depp had considered playing the role for director Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Wag the Dog) but ultimately withdrew. He now returns to the project which has found a new director, Scott Cooper, the man behind last year’s Out of the Furnace. The revitalization of the project doesn’t end there, as Tom Hardy is also in talks to join as John Connolly, a close friend of Bulger who happened to be an FBI agent. Production kicks off in May for a likely 2015 release. [Deadline]
In other news, Jay Baruchel will follow his supporting work in This is the End and the upcoming Robocop as both executive producer and star of a Stephen King adaptation, The Ten O’Clock People. Once set with Justin Long in the lead, The Hollywood Reporter describes the plot line about a drugged ex smoker uncovering a “frightening reality in which many people in authority are monsters.” While it’s directed by Tom Holland (Child’s Play, Fright Night), it sounds like King’s take on They Live.
Last but not least, Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon and Jason Isaacs are set to star in the psychological thriller, Stockholm, Pennsylvania. The script for that film has generated all sorts of prestigious buzz after it won the 2012 Nicholl Fellowship Award, having made its way through the Sundance Screenwriting Lab. Set to be Nikole Beckwith‘s directorial debut, the film follows Ronan as a kidnapping victim who reunites with her parents after 19 years. In the meantime you can see the actress’ work in the much-anticipated Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel (our Berlin review round-up here). [Deadline]
Which of the above projects are you most looking forward to?