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If you have any Johnny Depp news you can email it to me at deppfansite@hotmail.com and I'll post it.
Thanks!
That's a brand new photo of Johnny Depp, taken on Friday, July 20th, as he cruised the Mediterranean off the island of Elba near the coast of Italy. Johnny and Vanessa Paradis were snapped by paparazzi on board their yacht, the Vajoliroja (formerly the Anatolia, now re-christened in honor of the members of the Depp family. FANtasticJD points out that the yacht's name is comprised of the first two letters of VAnessa, JOhnny, LIly ROse and JAck--good catch, FAN!). Many thanks to bonnie for sharing the photos with us. To see a full-length photo of Johnny, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2bgs3u and to see a photo of Johnny and Vanessa together on deck, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2y9fr4 Clearly Johnny still has quite a bit of the pirate in his soul: his yacht's new name, said rapidly, sounds like "the Jolly Roger!"
Johnny Depp might be surprised to know that actor Adam Beach credits Johnny's work in 21 JUMP STREET for inspiring him to pursue acting as a profession. But that's exactly what Beach told the Television Critics Association recently, when he appeared to promote his new role as a detective on NBC's LAW & ORDER:SVU. The Canadian actor, who grew up on the Dog Creek Indian Reserve in Manitoba before moving to Winnipeg, told the assembled reporters, "Johnny Depp was the one who made me want to act. [Depp] was doing 21 JUMP STREET and he was playing these different characters that were involved with different high schools. And as a kid, I just wanted to live a different life."
Added Beach, "Coming from the second-worst neighborhood in Canada, my neighborhood was predominantly Native, and the statistics for people coming out of that neighbourhood was 80% going to jail. But we're not just a statistic of failure. There are some of us who are doing good."
Adam Beach received excellent reviews for his role in Clint Eastwood's FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. Now he has another high-profile role on LAW & ORDER: SVU playing a Native American character. He hopes he can help to change many of the negative perceptions about Native people. "LAW & ORDER basically did in one year what I've been trying to do for 17 years, which is to get away from the stereotype of the Hollywood Indian," Beach said. "Here's this character, he's a detective, yes he's Mohawk, and he has a depth in that his ancestors built New York City."
As the summer of 2007 rolls along, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END has been quietly and steadily piling up box office receipts around the world. The latest take puts AT WORLD'S END's box office gross at $304.5 million domestic and a whopping $624.9 million international, for a worldwide total of $929.4 million. This places AT WORLD'S END fifth on the list of all-time moneymakers, exceeded only by TITANIC, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, its sister ship PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, and the first of the Harry Potter films, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE. This is an amazing feat in a very competitive summer--congratulations to Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, and their marvelous band of pirates!
Speaking at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, Australia last Friday, Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the music and lyrics for the award-winning musical SWEENEY TODD, discussed Tim Burton's film adaptation, due for release at the end of the year. "It has got a lot of blood in it and that's fine by me," says Sondheim of the film, which stars Johnny Depp as the notorious demon barber of Fleet Street. Sondheim acknowledges that some of the musical has been cut in the interest of time, but agrees that doing the full stage text would make the film "too long." As for the cuts, "There are songs that have been cut, and cuts within some of the songs, but generally it is pretty much the score," says Sondheim. As for the twists and turns of the story, "The plot is very little changed . . . . It is pretty faithful."
Sondheim understands and respects the challenge of writing for the film; he co-wrote an acclaimed mystery movie, THE LAST OF SHEILA, with actor Anthony Perkins in 1973. Although the pair won the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America, for best mystery film of the year, Sondheim never wrote another screenplay, nor has he any further aspirations to turn screenwriter: "Film is a director's medium," he says, "and I would not have the patience to direct even if I had the talent for it."
Congratulations to Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp and the cast and crew of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, which passed the $300-million mark in domestic box office on Saturday, July 7th! David Germain of the Associated Press reports that "Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END took in $3 million to climb to $301.7 million domestically." Combined with its outstanding overseas performance, AT WORLD'S END now ranks 9th on the list of all-time box office performance, with a worldwide take of $901.6 million; it just passed HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, and has JURASSIC PARK in its sights.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END has received seven nominations for the 2007 Teen Choice Awards--congratulations! The film is nominated as Choice Movie: Action Adventure; Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are both nominated as Choice Movie Actor: Action Adventure; and Keira Knightley is nominated as Choice Movie Actress: Action Adventure. Bill Nighy's Davy Jones earned a nomination as Choice Movie Villain, Keira and Orlando's kiss rated a nod in Choice Liplock, and AWE received a nomination for Best Rumble. The Teen Choice Awards will be televised live on Fox on Sunday night, August 26th, at 8 pm Eastern.
If you would like to vote for the Teen Choice Awards, go here: http://www.fox.com/teenchoice/ but be warned--the voting site is not exactly user-friendly, so be prepared for some frustration to cast your ballot.
The UK movie-and-music magazine UNCUT celebrates its 10th anniversary in a big way: its August issue features a cover story on Bob Dylan and a "UK- exclusive joint interview with Keith Richards and Johnny Depp." According to associate publisher Gareth Beesley, "UNCUT is celebrating its tenth anniversary with an all star cast this month: the celebratory August issue is packed full of features and interviews with many of our heroes from music and film." On the subject of heroes, Johnny concedes to UNCUT that he was "afraid to meet" Keith Richards "for a long time, because there is always a fear that your heroes are going to be sh**heads." As for Keith Richards, he admits that his first reaction to Johnny Depp was "'Not another one of my [. . .] son's friends' [. . . .] Johnny started kind of like that and then he worked his way up with me." While the interview may be exclusive in the U.K., U.S. readers will recognize it as the one that ran in ROLLING STONE last month.
There have been many rumors floating around about a Pirates of the Caribbean 4, and now some people are saying that it is almost a complete certainty that Captain Jack will be back again. However, I cannot give you a reliable source for who exactly is saying that he will be back, so everything that follows should be taken with a grain of salt.
In an article read at CinemaBlend.com an inside source (again, unknown, but said to be very trustworthy) has said that Johnny Depp has confirmed he will be back as Captain Jack again, and will be paid $35- $40 million to do it! Geoffrey Rush and Gore Virbinski will also be returning. As for the rest of the cast though, they can be forgotten. Yes, that's right, say goodbye to William Turner and Elizabeth Swann. Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom will not be returning to the fouth installment of the Pirates films, and from now on the movies will follow only Jack Sparrow.
The Fountain of Youth may not be the only story covered in Pirates 4, it is said that the films could be taking a turn from the past three films and turning to science fiction. This could very well brew the start of a new trilogy with Captain Jack and his crew. Some of the ideas that are going around "involve some Jules Verne type of scenarios involving som pretty big flying machines, a man who want sot rule more than just the ocean, an encouter with the most famous and dangerous pirate of all, a race to get to a lost world" says the inside source. It's also rumored that the mythical city of Atlantis may be a destination of our witty pirate captain. Some Jack back story is also promised, so we may very well be seeing more of Keith Richards in the film.
But Disney is planning to take a very long breather from the franchise. The possible start dates, which are very sketchy, are anywhere from 2009 to 2011.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END is now the biggest international and global release of calendar year 2007, as its worldwide and international box office totals passed SPIDER-MAN 3. AT WORLD'S END took in $14.1 million in overseas box office last week, making it the sixth biggest international film in history with a box office total of $608.9 million, reports Screen Daily. The third PIRATES film seems likely to move up one spot on this chart in a few more days, as it will soon pass the $614.7 million earned by the current #5 international film, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS.
AT WORLD'S END now ranks ninth on the all-time worldwide box office charts, with a combined international and domestic box office of $905 million. Its performance tops SPIDER-MAN 3, which was released several weeks earlier yet has a worldwide box office total to date of $882 million. AT WORLD'S END needs less than $10 million in combined box office to pass the eighth-place film, JURASSIC PARK.
The photo at left shows Johnny Depp on stage in Austin in 1993 for the debut performance of the band P, in which he played guitar. If you've always wanted to own a copy of P's self-titled CD, originally released in November 1995, but you kept losing auctions on Ebay to Deppheads with deeper pockets, your search is over: the P CD has been re-released! Yes, it's now available for $13.98 plus shipping on Amazon.com; to order a copy, click here: http://tinyurl.com/3xbkrd The frontman for P is Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, whom Johnny met while in Texas shooting WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE; other band members include Johnny's longtime friends Bill Carter and Sal Jenco, with musical contributions from Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist, and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols.
Continuing its very strong performance overseas, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END passed by FINDING NEMO this weekend to become Disney's second-best box office performer ever, second only to last summer's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Internationally, AT WORLD'S END has earned $584.6 million, placing it seventh on the all-time list in that category. Combined with its domestic earnings, AT WORLD'S END now has a worldwide box office gross of $871.6 million--twelfth on the all-time list and climbing. Thanks to emma for the box office update; all the latest box office statistics are on the News & Views forum. Congratulations to Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, and their marvelous pirates on the achievements of AT WORLD'S END!
The Hollywood Reporter today confirmed that veteran director Peter Medak "is attached to direct INAMORATA for Initial Entertainment and Infinitum Nihil." Longtime Zoners will recall that Infinitum Nihil (Johnny Depp's production company) bought the rights to Joseph Gangemi's novel INAMORATA in 2004; the novelist delivered a screenplay; and last December the trades reported that Infinitum Nihil and Initial Entertainment were "in talks" with Medak to direct. Peter Medak has a distinguished resume that encompasses both film (ROMEO IS BLEEDING, PONTIAC MOON) and television (HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET, LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS' UNIT, THE WIRE, CARNIVALE, HOUSE M.D.). The story of INAMORATA takes place in Philadelphia in the 1920s; it concerns a Harvard grad student who falls in love with a beautiful psychic whom he is attempting to discredit as a fraud.
Johnny Depp is front-and-center in a cluster of A-listers on the cover of the newest Forbes Magazine; Johnny ranks sixth on the "Celebrity 100," Forbes' annual list of "the world's most powerful--and best-paid--celebrities." Johnny's ranking is based on the success of last year's box office champion, DEAD MAN'S CHEST. "Thanks to his share in the box office gross of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, actor Johnny Depp made $92 million in the last 12 months," claims Forbes, "more than most any other actor has ever earned for a film role."
Impressive . . . however, the Forbes rankings are also a bit misleading, since the "Celebrity 100" is interested in precisely that: celebrity. Magazine covers, column inches of print and radio/TV mentions all build a celebrity's ranking, regardless of whether the celebrity has won an Oscar or been arrested for DUI. Here is Forbes' explanation of how they generate their list: "Forbes analyzes celebrity earnings, plus media metrics like Google hits, press mentions as compiled by Lexis/Nexis, TV/radio mentions from Factiva and the number of times an A-lister appears on the cover of 32 major consumer magazines." Forbes' reason for ranking Brad Pitt one spot above Johnny on the list explains their reasoning very succinctly: "Brad Pitt [. . .] virtually hijacked the headlines with his hotter half and their new brood." Ah--so it's about headlines. Thanks for clearing that up, Forbes . . .
Hats off to Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp and all their company--PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END has crossed the $500 million mark in international box office in only 20 days of release, shattering the previous record, set by SPIDERMAN 3, by a full week! That's amazing! Variety reports that AT WORLD'S END became the 15th film in history to make half a billion dollars internationally, setting the record on Tuesday. AT WORLD'S END has been a powerhouse abroad--"foreign markets [are] supplying two of every three dollars of its worldwide total," notes Variety.
On Tuesday, AT WORLD'S END opened in China with an impressive $1.3 million, a record for the Disney studios in that market. At the end of the day, AT WORLD'S END had clinched its international record, fastest to $500 million internationally, with a foreign total of $505.6 million. Combined with its North American box office gross of $257.7 million through Tuesday, AT WORLD'S END's worldwide gross rose to $763 million--21st highest of all time, and climbing. Congratulations!
Deppheads who are eagerly awaiting the release of Tim Burton's film of the Stephen Sondheim musical SWEENEY TODD, starring Johnny Depp as the demon barber of Fleet Street, may wish to register for updates at the official movie website here: http://www.sweeneytoddmovie.com/ Currently the site shows a simple movie poster, but it promises more "Coming Soon." We can't wait! Thanks to Kimmie for the site news . . . .
Hollywood columnist Army Archerd reports that Warner Bros. producer Richard Zanuck has returned from London now that SWEENEY TODD has finished shooting . . . and despite some rumblings in the press about "production delays," Archerd hears from Mr. Zanuck that SWEENEY TODD was "completed and brought in for an economical (these days) $50 million" and was "directed by Tim Burton in 50 days." A remarkable achievement--hats off to Tim and everyone who worked on the film! Adds Archerd, "Zanuck enthused about the terrif changes for both Johnny Depp and [Sacha Baron] Cohen in their roles with music." SWEENEY TODD will have an Oscar-qualifying run in the U. S. in the final week of 2007, and then goes into wide release next January. Thanks to emma for the Archerd article; you can read the full story on the Zone's News & Views forum.
Here's the first look at the cover of the next edition of ROLLING STONE--a beautiful portrait of Keith Richards and Johnny Depp, with the headline "Blood Brothers." The magazine is not yet on newsstands, but the ROLLING STONE website promises that their next cover story will be a Q&A interview with "the most rock & roll 'father and son' of all time: Keith Richards and Johnny Depp." We can't wait to read this one! We'll bring you the interview as soon as it's available; cover date on the issue is May 31, 2007. Many thanks to Theresa and Donna B. for breaking the news, and to bonnie who sent us the cover photo; you can see a much larger version of this fantastic shot in the "Photo of ROLLING STONE cover" thread on the News & Views forum, at the top of page 3. --Part-Time Poet
Moviefone's Liane Bonin visited the set of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END last fall and spoke with production designer Rick Heinrichs about the exotic sets. "Don't assume everything you see is computer generated," warns Bonin, who saw the elaborate Singapore set. "There's going to be quite a bit of visual effects, but Gore [Verbinski] wanted to rely on real stuff whenever possible, then expand upon that with special effects," says Heinrichs. Moviefone is currently showing a 13-panel behind-the-scenes slide show with descriptions of their on-set tour, as well as four new high-definition video clips, but beware of major spoilers in the videos. You can view the video clips here http://tinyurl.com/2d78hd and the behind-the-scenes slide show here http://tinyurl.com/yuf824 Thanks to emma for the behind-the-scenes story and Theresa for the video clips. --Part-Time Poet
Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush has spent some time in Internet chat rooms, trying to learn if any savvy poster has uncovered the secret of Captain Barbossa's return from the dead. "I get very intrigued dropping into the chat rooms to see how much they pick up on," Rush told James Wigney of the Sunday Herald Sun. "It's like film analysis school--they will pick up random little throwaway shots that are deliberate red herrings and ask, 'Did anyone see that there?' In the second film, they were asking, 'Did anyone see Barbossa's boots lying in the background?' And they go back over it.'' However, Rush reports, "The great thing is that none of them have really picked what happens in No.3."
Geoffrey Rush hasn't yet seen the finished version of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, due to premiere at Disneyland on Saturday evening: "There are hundreds and hundreds of effects shots that take a lot of time to perfect," he explains. "So I think when it opens in Anaheim it will be racing in an ambulance from the lab."
Rush, who won a Best Actor Oscar for SHINE a decade ago, thinks his co-star Johnny Depp deserves "the little golden man" for his creation of Jack Sparrow, "especially as such awards are rarely given to comic roles or blockbusters." Says Rush, "[The Oscar nomination] was a great feather in his cap, because there is no tradition of that. And to be honest, I think he has created one of the most memorable characters in Hollywood history.''
You can read the full Sunday Herald Sun article on the Zone's Porch; a transcript of Geoffrey Rush's May 10th appearance on GOOD MORNING AMERICA is also on that forum. Many thanks to emma for both Rush interviews. --Part-Time Poet
In a wide-ranging and relaxed interview with Ruben V. Nepales, Johnny Depp spoke briefly about his seven-year-old daughter Lily-Rose's recovery from a serious illness in March. "[T]here was a bumpy patch in terms of my daughter's illness which, to let you know, she got through beautifully, unscathed. She's healthy now," Johnny said. "She's wonderful. It gave us a great scare--a perspective, a reminder of how lucky we are to be able to breathe, live, walk, talk, think and surround ourselves with people we love." And what gave him strength during this crisis? "What got us through our trying times was not my strength or Vanessa's," Johnny responded. "It was more the strength of our daughter, her incredible ability to make us feel okay even though she was in a difficult place. She was very unwell but she was so strong and amazing."
Johnny also spoke about undertaking the leading role in a musical--Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD--and singing the Stephen Sondheim score onscreen. "An actor going into a recording studio and singing for the first time in his life at age 4--that's very strange," a laughing Johnny told Nepales. "I wouldn't recommend it. I feel okay about what I have been able to do but it's a very strange process. When Tim asked if I wanted to play the role, I said, 'Sure.' He said, 'Can you sing?' I said, 'I don't know--I'll get back to you [. . .]. I ended up going into a recording studio with a friend of mine and I just sang to the tracks to find out if I could do it at all. It's not unlike the mating call of a rutting stag," said Johnny. "It's a very strange sound but so far, I have not been fired, which is good. We'll see. I hope you like it."
You can read all of the Nepales interview, including what Johnny said about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, Keith Richards' arrival on the set, box office records, and the possibility of a PIRATES 4, on the Zone's News & Views forum. Many thanks to Theresa for posting the article. --Part-Time Poet
The May 18, 2007 issue of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY features a spectacular cover of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and a seven-page feature on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END. The lavishly illustrated behind-the-scenes article, called "Days of Plunder," was written by Josh Rottenberg and includes a full-page Q&A interview with Johnny Depp called "The Captain At Ease." You can read the interview in its entirety on the Zone's News & Views forum; many thanks to emma for posting it, and to sleepy for breaking the EW story. You can find a much larger scan of the EW cover on sleepy's thread on News & Views.
What did the POTC pirates have to say about their work? Director Gore Verbinski drew his metaphor from another genre entirely: "It's really a Western. It's like The Wild Bunch or something." And he speaks up for the virtues of the POTC films' complex plots: "I don't mind if people find it confusing. I don't want to dumb it down to where it's just processed cheese and you're not thinking about it afterwards." Writer Terry Rossio adds that the films are "designed for multiple viewings." Bill Nighy, who plays Davy Jones, sees no reason to fret: "When you pass the $1.1 billion mark, you start to suspect that you must be doing something right." And how did Captain Jack Sparrow feel about DEAD MAN'S CHEST's astonishing worldwide popularity? "These numbers kept coming in, and none of them made sense to me," Johnny tells Rottenberg. "The only thing I did notice was that they kept getting larger."
The article concludes with the inevitable speculation that AT WORLD'S END might not, in fact, be the end of the PIRATES franchise. Might there be a POTC 4? The ever-cagey Jerry Bruckheimer, master of tantalizing the audience, suggests that moviegoers might want to stay clear to the end of the credits of AT WORLD'S END, for a hint of what the future might hold. "There's something we show you as they drift away,what the next adventure could be," promises Jerry B. --Part-Time Poet
The July 2007 issue of TOTAL FILM features a cover of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and, inside, a cornucopia of delightful interviews with the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END cast and crew. Reporter Aubrey Day conducts a joint interview with Johnny and POTC scriptwriter Terry Rossio, and finds Johnny heaping praise on (as usual) everybody but himself. Here's what Johnny has to say about his producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, and his director, Gore Verbinkski:
JD: Jerry Bruckheimer [. . . ] he's the great protector. He stands there and wards off any and all sorts of evil spirits, or just concerned parties, to stop them from getting to the work, touching any of that, getting to [director] Gore Verbinski. And if there are any real heroes within this little community, man, Gore is the King Hero. And the immediate crew: those guys who are there in the trenches, the grips, the electricians, craft services. I honestly don't know how Gore is able to be upright after all he's done. And also everything he retains in his brain. It's weird. As an actor you could almost not read the script at all, and just rely on Gore. I think he has a photographic memory or something. He's just a wizard.
And will there be further PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN adventures?
TERRY ROSSIO: I'll tell you one thing: Johnny will not make the same film twice. If there is to be another Captain Jack adventure, it won't be like any of the three films that came before.
JD: Playing this character will always, always bring a smile to my face . . . .
The TOTAL FILM article also includes interviews with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Many thanks to Gilbert's Girl for bringing us the news, and In-too-Depp for sharing her scans of the article. --Part-Time Poet
In an interview with Reuters Television in London, Johnny Depp promised audiences that they would see "the same old Captain Jack" they fell in love with in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. "I think he is a character that can always be fresh in a weird way because he is so irreverent and so irresponsible, you know, he is a lot of fun," Johnny told Reuters. But don't look for earth-shaking changes in the Captain's character in AT WORLD'S END. "[Y]ou'll see certain new sides to the character, but I don't think he is a character that can evolve per se or suddenly have this great revelation about himself," Johnny explained. "I think he just sort of is what he is."
Johnny knows the Captain Jack character has taken root in the public imagination; everyone knows Captain Jack Sparrow. "When you meet people in the street, even just these little kids who could be as young as four and five years old and they've had some connection to the character and it's a connection they'll carry with them, you know, probably, maybe for the rest of their lives and that's a very profound experience," he said. Even after four years atop the Hollywood A-list, Johnny sounds humbled and astonished by the character's popularity. "All of it took me by surprise," he told Reuters. "I mean, I'm the guy that for twenty years was used to having people not see any of his films," Johnny said. "Nobody saw my movies--a couple here and there, but in terms of a mass audience, that never happened for me."
Asked about the possibility of a fourth film adventure for Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny gave a noncomittal reply: "I don't know, you know. I reckon anything is possible."
You can read the full Reuters interview on the Zone's News & Views forum, including Johnny's reaction to filming with the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards. Many thanks to emma for posting the interview and to AnaMaria for the screencap of Johnny. You can watch the video from Reuters here: http://tinyurl.com/ywgdl9 --Part-Time Poet
The photo shows Johnny Depp during his interview on GOOD MORNING AMERICA this morning, Tuesday, May 8th. The five-minute feature, called "A Pirate's Life for Me: Johnny Depp Up Close," combined an autobiographical recap with promotion for the upcoming release of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END. GMA's weekend anchor Bill Weir did sandwich in some fresh questions, however, as he asked Johnny about comic vs. "dark" roles, and about the health of his daughter Lily-Rose. Here is a bit of their conversation:
GMA: How does comedy satisfy you differently than drama, or something tense and psychological?
JD: Oh, boy. It's so much nicer. So much better than having to travel to . . . dark places. It's fun to sort of release the trap door and see what everyone's reaction is.
GMA [narrator]: But he is still drawn to the morbid.
JD: (nodding) Dark.
GMA: You keep going back to the dark, man!
JD: Yeah. I don't know. There are certain things that arrive in front of you--things like THE LIBERTINE or SWEENEY TODD, with Tim Burton--that you just know that there's no way around it. You must do it.
GMA: But do you find therapy in your work?
JD: You definitely do. But you know, you find therapy in life--in anything. In family. In your kids.
Regarding the recent serious illness of his daughter Lily-Rose, Johnny offered this update: "As any parent would feel, it was extremely frightening. She's doing really well. She's pulled through beautifully--and perfectly, thank God. So everything's good." Wonderful news!
Many thanks to Susanne for preparing our video clip and for her screencap, and to emma for the ABC News link and to Intodadepps for posting the first news about GOOD MORNING AMERICA last week. You can see the full video on the ABC News website here: http://tinyurl.com/2xjw6y --Part-Time Poet
Johnny Depp appeared in a very brief segment of ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT during the May 7th broadcast, promoting the release of the third film in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy, AT WORLD'S END, and telling the ET reporter "I've loved playing Captain Jack." But what brought that laugh to Johnny's face? It was the sight of himself, dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, adorning a large square pillow (pillows available at the Disney Store near you, of course). "Congratulations--you've frightened me," he declared, laughing. "I mean, to see yourself on a pillow! I mean, breakfast cereal . . . ." Johnny paused and snapped his fingers, as if he were now used to seeing the Captain Jack cereal boxes and could take it in stride. "But . . . a pillow?"
To see a screencap of Johnny Depp holding the Captain Jack pillow, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2g49wt Many thanks to RumLover for the ET story and pillow screencap, and to AnaMaria for the photo of Johnny laughing. --Part-Time Poet
In preparation for the coming release of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, Keira Knightley was interviewed by EMPIRE "to discuss all things Trilogy." Keira is full of praise for all her colleagues and calls director Gore Verbinski "a hero," but she expects this to be Elizabeth Swann's foray into the pirate world: "I can't imagine them doing another PIRATES," she tells EMPIRE, "but never say never. I hope if they did, they'd make some different costumes!"
Asked to describe working with Johnny Depp, Keira replies, "Working with Johnny is incredible. I think he's one of the most talented actors of his generation and seeing him work and create the character is really extraordinary. He takes risks. He's not one of those actors who's like, 'well, this is what my fans would like' or anything like that. He really pushes boundaries and that's an extraordinary thing for a young actress to see. I remember seeing him play Captain Jack for the first time and everybody went, 'what is he doing?' But he was like, 'this is the way I'm playing it!' I love the fact he creates. That's very inspirational. And as a person, he's lovely. I like [him] very much. "
And what was it like to work with rock 'n' roll legend Keith Richards? "Keith was only there for three days, but he was great," says Keira. "Obviously after the first film everybody knew that Johnny had done his characterisation of Keith, so it was really lovely to have him come in and do the cameo. He had a hat, a feather and dreadlocks. It was great. I thought he was very nice. [. . .] He did a great pirate 'aaaaaar!' Actually, that was the only thing he said to me. I said, 'Hi I'm Keira' and he went 'Aaaar!'" A charming moment . . . ."
Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush, otherwise known as the nefarious Captain Hector Barbossa, recently spoke to Australian critic Mark Bierne about his return to piracy in AT WORLD'S END. Asked if Barbossa, who was a villian in the first film, can now be trusted, Geoffrey Rush replies: "[C]ertainly the implication from that cliffhanger ending on part two is that out of all of the people you want to bring back from the dead to help rescue Jack from being eaten by the beastie, Barbossa's not the best guy to do it. They're sworn enemies," he reminds us.
Asked if the atmosphere on-set was as light-hearted and jovial as what shows on screen, Rush says, "We've been doing this on-and-off now for four-and-a-half years so there's a tremendous camaraderie between all of the departments. The actors don't just spend time amongst themselves; you spend a good part of the day with the make-up team, the stunt guys, the expert marine department who are ferrying you there. Someone like Johnny is a great team leader," says Rush. "It's great not to have a diva. It's great to have someone who's very laid-back, very playful . . . he's probably the only person who dares to ad-lib. A lot of what he throws in makes it into the final mix. Jack Sparrow is some crazy part of Johnny's brain."
Geoffrey Rush states that his favorite films to make are those with large, talented ensembles--his turn as beleaguered impresario Philip Henslowe in the Oscar-winning SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE stands out as a favorite role. And his favorite actors? "I've been pretty lucky for a middle-aged character actor," confides Rush; "my leading ladies have been Cate Blanchett and Salma Hayek and Charlize Theron and Kate Winslet. And Johnny Depp, we've been together for four-and-a-half years now on these films; he's one of the great character actors in a leading man's body who constantly surprises himself and his audience with his capabilities and imagination."
Magazine coverage of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END is picking up; UK mag THE WORKS features an interview with director Gore Verbinski in their May issue. "The global movie audience is already salivating at the thought of AT WORLD'S END continuing the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise," John Millar's article begins. "And as the fans have their patience stretched tight as they wait for the film to hit the screen with all cannons blazing, they can remind themselves that they owe a debt of gratitude to the trilogy's director Gore Verbinski." Millar credits Verbinski's "buccaneering style" with helping to "breathe life into a pirate genre" that had been dismissed by Hollywood.
According to Millar, the director also understood that not all treasure is silver and gold--sometimes it arrives as pure talent. "Verbinski also knew that his leading man possessed a comic talent that would provide a special piece of magic [. . . ] because Depp has the capacity to be a modern day Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin," writes Millar. Johnny's director agrees. "He is a virtuoso," says Verbinski. "It is like having Miles Davis in your band and you have got to let him go solo. The storyboards can be a funny image and then you put Johnny into it and he makes it his own."
You can read more on the News & Views forum; there is also a link to purchase copies of the magazine. The Zone thanks emma for sharing the story. --Part-Time Poet
If you can't get enough of Captain Jack Sparrow and his pirate crew, Yahoo Movies has two new 30-second television commercials for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END available on their website. One clip is called "Are You Prepared?" and the other is called "Stand Together." You can see them both here: http://tinyurl.com/2xqlgr Thanks to emma for sharing the link!
And if you are curious about the music that will accompany AT WORLD'S END, you can sample each track of Hans Zimmer's score here at soundtrack.net: http://tinyurl.com/2t9wh3 Thanks to Carasun for the news; even in 30-second bursts, the score is beautiful.
The 10th Anniversary issue of MOVIE MAGIC Magazine has a five-page feature on AT WORLD'S END called "Yo Ho Ho, Jack's Back!" Their interview with Johnny Depp finds him speculating about the possibility of continuing the PIRATES franchise. "Maybe there'll be a PIRATES 4, 5 and 6," says Johnny. "If they had a good script, why not? I mean, at a certain point the madness must stop, but for the moment, I can't say that Captain Jack Sparrow's done. I just feel like there are more things you could do. Because I suppose, with a character like this, the parameters are a little broader, so there are more possibilities, I think. And he's a fun character to play. I was really not looking forward to saying goodbye to him."
Thanks to Shadow for posting scans of the MOVIE MAGIC article on the News & Views forum; you can read the complete article there. --Part-Time Poet
"A hero will rise . . . Johnny Depp [in] PIRATES 3--Massive AT WORLD'S END world exclusive!" trumpets the cover of the June 2007 issue of the UK's EMPIRE Magazine. Actually, it's one of three covers, as other versions of the issue feature Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, but of course we are partial to the cover with Captain Jack Sparrow. The inside feature, "Anchor Man" by Ian Nathan, is a long and fascinating interview with director Gore Verbinski, in many ways the unsung hero of the POTC franchise. The article is 10 pages long and lavishly illustrated with large behind-the-scenes photos.
"My nerves are rattled, just as anybody else's would be doing this," admits Verbinski, as he prepares to pilot the final film of the trilogy into theaters around the world this month. "My fingers are crossed, knocking on wood, hoping everybody really likes it." Still, he hopes to be able to deliver the jolt--and the pleasure--of genuine surprise. "I'm hoping to make it not what people expect. [Make] them leave the theater saying, 'Well, that is not at all what I thought [would happen], but I really liked it.'" Adds Verbinski, "The hardest part is remaining inspired. [. . . Y]ou don't want to be ordinary." And while smooth sailing behind-the-scenes is much to be desired, the director doesn't want smooth sailing for his characters on screen. "You're always in pursuit of the awkward moment," he confides, "and when you find it, celebrate it!"
The Zone thanks Gilbert's Girl for posting the news on the News & Views forum, and In-too-Depp for sharing scans of the article. --Part-Time Poet
Fantastic news . . . the Walt Disney Company announced today that all available tickets for the World Premiere of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END have sold out in just 14 days. The AWE premiere fundraiser (tickets were priced at $1,500 each) benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and Make-A-Wish International. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Disney set a noble goal of raising $3 million for Make-A-Wish, since AT WORLD'S END is the third POTC movie; now the celebration of the launch of the new film will also bring new hope and joy to thousands of seriously ill children and their families.
Disney kick-started the fundraising campaign with a donation of $1 million two weeks ago, and that generous act started a chain-reaction. Disney reports receiving ticket orders from 35 U.S. states, but the love of POTC is world-wide; Anaheim will welcome premiere attendees from Australia, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Canada and Mexico as well. "Ticket buyers making the trip to Anaheim next month for the event include a family from Chicago, where the father is having his kids volunteer at a children's hospital so they can fully appreciate their tickets. A doctor from Canada is sending her mother as a thank you for working multiple jobs to put her through medical school," reports Disney--now there's one memorable Mother's Day gift!
"Disney is dedicated to making dreams come true, and now we're joined by PIRATES fans from all over the world who are making a difference through their generous support and participation in this event," said Dick Cook, the chairman of Walt Disney Studios. "The Studio is extremely excited about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, and we are looking forward to a spectacular premiere to give the movie the send-off it deserves, while also touching the lives of so many children and their families."
The Walt Disney Company is donating 100 percent of the ticket proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and underwriting the entire cost of the premiere. Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END World Premiere will take place on May 19 at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, with all of the film's stars expected to participate in the event. Thanks to DeepinDepp for sharing the story; you can read the full article on the News & Views forum.
The Zone salutes The Walt Disney Company for taking their day of celebration and using it to help others. There will be ripples of good rolling out from that red carpet on May 19th that will touch thousands of lives all over the world. --Part-Time Poet
Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley share MTV Movie Awards Best Performance nominations for their roles as Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST--yes, actors and actresses compete in a single category; the forward-thinking MTV honchos don't indulge in gender discrimination when handing out gilded tubs of popcorn. Bill Nighy joins his colleagues in the kudos-fest with a nomination as Best Villain for his role as Davy Jones, where he will face off against the devil herself, Meryl Streep in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Should be an interesting evening! DEAD MAN'S CHEST competes for Best Movie honors against 300, BORAT, BLADES OF GLORY, and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. You can vote for your favorites here: http://tinyurl.com/2rrfv6
Another factor making this year's MTV Movie Awards interesting is that, for the first time, they will be broadcast live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, rather than taped and edited--a move that is sure to send MTV's Standards and Practices representative (otherwise known as the censor) into cardiac arrest. The 2007 MTV Movie Awards air on Sunday, June 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Promises MTV, "We're on a mission to throw the greatest party Hollywood has ever seen"--and given Hollywood's history, that's quite a challenge!
The Zone thanks emma and DeepinDepp for posting the story and voting links on the News & Views forum. We congratulate Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, and Gore Verbinski and the cast and crew on their MTV Movie Awards nominations! --Part-Time Poet
POTC3:STTT is an initiative that plans to send AT WORLD'S END Straight To The Top of the box office charts! Members from many Depp and Pirate sites are banding together to support this cause, and the plan is simple and easy to remember: "All you need to do is go have fun seeing POTC3 as many times as possible," writes organizer Bootstrap Beck. Specifically, the initiative urges supporters to boost box office numbers by seeing AT WORLD'S END one more time on its opening weekend than they did for DEAD MAN'S CHEST (if you saw DMC twice, see AWE three times); and to see AWE at least once more during its full-summer run than they did for DMC.
You can find full details of the POTC3:STTT campaign on the Zone's News & Views forum; we thank Bootstrap Beck for posting them and for her work in support of AT WORLD'S END. Enjoy the official launch video on You Tube here: http://tinyurl.com/2sf7g8 and visit the official POTC3:STTT website here: http://potc3sttt.com/ We hope you will accept the invitation to join the largest gathering of Pirate Brethren ever! --Part-Time Poet
FIGHT CLUB screenwriter Jim Uhls was in Tucson for an appearance at The Loft Cinema on Friday, April 27, and he gave an interview to Arizona Wildcat reporter Astrid Duffy in which he discusses (among other things) his current project, an adaptation of the graphic novels REX MUNDI for Johnny Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil. Plans are for Johnny to play the protagonist, Julian Sauniere, in this complex alternate-universe mystery set in the 1930s. Many thanks to RumLover for sharing the interview; here's what Mr. Uhls had to say about REX MUNDI:
WILDCAT: I've heard you're working on a new screenplay, REX MUNDI, that Johnny Depp is rumored to star in. Could you tell me a little bit about that?
UHLS: That's correct. It's based on a series of graphic novels that are still coming out, and books one, two and three we are collecting as chapters. Some things we're keeping and some we're changing, but the basic premise is that it's set in the present time but it's an alternative present.
By that, I mean history happened differently to lead up to the present time. The Catholic Church remained in power over in Europe; the monarchies in Europe are still in control of the rest of the world, most of which is colonies. The Inquisition is still going on, and there's an internal, deep, complicated mystery that the lead character starts to unravel. I changed that mystery entirely from the graphic novel and in doing so created a lot of work for myself. (laughs)
WILDCAT: Will you have less freedom in adapting a graphic novel since the images are already there?
UHLS: No, in terms of having all the frames already there in the graphic novel and how they've organised it, it wouldn't differ from adapting an ordinary book. I still have to have an approach and have it all fit together my way.
WILDCAT: How long will it be before this new film comes out?
UHLS: Probably, at the earliest, next year sometime.
WILDCAT: It seems like graphic novels are getting to be very popular at the movie theatres right now.
UHLS: Yes, yes. Many of them are very different in content and style, and this one is not in superhero style. It's a very different kind of story, which shows the versatility of graphic novels.
WILDCAT: Do you think REX MUNDI will have the same kind of success as FIGHT CLUB?
UHLS: Well, I hope it does very well! That's all I can say! I think it will be unique enough and interesting enough to peak the curiosity, so hopefully that'll be a success.
REX MUNDI is a wonderfully imaginative tale, one we're eagerly anticipating as a film; it's good to hear such an enthusiastic report from Jim Uhls. You can read the full interview at http://tinyurl.com/yvvw67 --Part-Time Poet
The Zone thanks Emma for posting a recent interview with PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN trilogy super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer; you can read the Q & A in its entirety on the Porch, but here are a few highlights. In these excerpts, Mr. Bruckheimer discusses the possibility of a fourth POTC film, the creative process, and the producer's role.
Q: You've said before that you wouldn't rule out doing some more Pirates films after AT WORLD'S END. What's the latest on that?
A: Well, we've optioned some material, we've optioned a book and we're looking at it. We're in talks with the same writers to come back and work on a fourth one so that's an ongoing thing.
Q: And would that mean that all the major characters are back on board?
A: Well, you know, that's still on the drawing board but it's always fun to bring the characters you love back.
Q: How do you shape the Pirates story--do you and Johnny and Gore have input with the writers?
A: Sure, Johnny is a big part of creating his character and Gore is leading everything and very involved with the writers. We all throw our two cents in.
Q: As a producer which part of your job do you enjoy most?
A: I love just about all of it, working on these big ideas, working with major talent like Gore and Johnny and the rest of our cast. And working with the crews that we've worked with over the years, you make a lot of friends, and it's great to put things together and give people work--and good work that they can appreciate and their families can appreciate and be proud of.
Q: What is the key attribute that a producer should have?
A: Oh, I think he has to be a good storyteller, that's the key. Understanding what good material is and being able to translate that good material to the screen.
Q: If you had to pinpoint why the PIRATES films have been so successful, what would it be?
A: I think the fact that we hadn't seen a pirate movie in a long time, along with great storytelling, and a brilliant director, and the fact that you have such wonderful actors playing such interesting characters; audiences just love that. --Part-Time Poet
In the May 2007 issue of Canada's Movie Entertainment Magazine, critic Jay Stone writes this about Johnny Depp: "How we love Johnny Depp: his unkempt good looks, his aura of vaguely rehabilitated naughtiness, his determination to keep his name below the title, so you never really know what a 'Johnny Depp' movie might be. Director Tim Burton calls him a character actor in a leading man's body. And how we love Jack Sparrow, unregenerate coward, egotistical scoundrel, amoral buccaneer determined to beat the devil with a combination of betrayal, speed and good luck . . . ."
Although "unregenerate coward" is perhaps not really an accurate description of Captain Jack, who behaves heroically on more than one occasion, most of Stone's appreciation is close to the mark and great fun to read. He invites us to imagine the consequences of different casting: "Imagine how Brad Pitt, say, could have turned the role into an unregenerate hunk, or how the 'sensitive' sincerity of a Jake Gyllenhaal or a Heath Ledger could have spoiled all the knavish fun." Concludes Stone, "No other actor could have done justice to the Jack Sparrow role."
The Zone thanks Intodadepps for posting scans of the article on the News & Views forum; you can read all of Jay Stone's article there. Mr. Stone is the national movie writer for CanWest News Service. --Part-Time Poet
Viewers of ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT were treated to a feature on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END during the broadcast on Wednesday, April 25th--one month before the official release of the film in North America. Brief interviews with the leading actors, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot were intercut with clips from the movie, including some brilliant new footage. After a shot of Captain Jack Sparrow pronouncing himself "the last pirate," Johnny Depp assured the interviewer that "Captain Jack Sparrow definitely rises up to the occasion" in AT WORLD'S END. "It's amazing--unbelievable," said Johnny. "I'm very excited to see how it's all going to match up."
According to ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, "The stars are back, and judging by these new scenes, uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his writers have really topped themselves." Keira Knightley confesses, "There is a certain amount of guilt Elizabeth feels about the whole Jack situation," no doubt referring to her character's sleight of hand with the handcuffs at the end of DEAD MAN'S CHEST. The look on Captain Jack's face when Elizabeth asks, "Oh, will you never forgive me?" is alone worth the price of admission. Many thanks to Intodadepps for alerting us to the ET segment and capturing the clip for our Video Clips forum, and to Theresa for video work and Susanne for screencaps of the footage.
Writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio promise that "All of the main characters' stories come to a conclusion" in AT WORLD'S END. Adds Mr. Bruckheimer, "We take you to places you've never been before with characters you love." What better definition of entertainment could there be?--Part-Time Poet
Variety reports that a new production company, Dark & Stormy Entertainment, comprised of writer Jason Smilovic and producers Tyler Mitchell and Robert Kravis, will "shepherd the long-distilling adaptation of Hunter Thompson's THE RUM DIARY" as one of their company's first projects. Long-time Depp fans will recall that Johnny Depp first discussed filming the Thompson novel several years ago, but the project was delayed by scheduling conflicts and cast changes. Variety confirms that RUM DIARY "still has Johnny Depp attached and Bruce Robinson planning to direct his own script." Robinson previously wrote and directed the classic film WITHNAIL AND I.
Jason Smilovic's most recent project was the critically acclaimed NBC drama series KIDNAPPED, starring Timothy Hutton and Dany Delany; he also wrote the film LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN (2006), starring Josh Hartnett and Bruce Willis. Robert Kravis was an executive at Miramax, and Tyler Mitchell was a vice president at Film Engine, where he developed THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT and produced LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN. Mitchell was also a consulting producer and writer for KIDNAPPED. We wish them well as they launch their company and look forward to more news about THE RUM DIARY. Thanks to Emma for posting the news; you can read the full Variety article on the Zone's News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
Perhaps it was the allure of actor Chow Yun-Fat as pirate Sao Feng that tipped the scales in Disney's favor; whatever the reason, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END has been approved by Chinese censors for release in China, thus avoiding the fate that befell last summer's blockbuster, DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Despite earning more than a billion dollars worldwide, DEAD MAN'S CHEST was banned in China last year, "due to the grotesque look of one character and some supernatural elements," reports Screen Daily. Puzzling, since the original PIRATES film, THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, had been approved for release three years earlier, skeleton-crew and all . . . .
However, it's mostly smooth sailing for AT WORLD'S END. The film will get a delayed opening in China--after SPIDER-MAN 3 and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, which are scheduled to open on May 1st and May 22nd. Expect a release date in mid-June for Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew. The Zone thanks Emma for the news--you can read the full Screen Daily story and the details of the Chinese release on the News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
Now that Johnny Depp is toplining a major musical in Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD, he's popping up on producers' wish lists for musical films as well as dramas and comedies. Case in point: Harvey Weinstein's planned film of the Tony-winning Broadway musical NINE. NINE is based on Fellini's classic film 8 1/2, and focuses on the midlife crisis and complex romantic entanglements of a great director (not unlike Fellini himself). The role of Guido garnered Tony nominations for the late Raul Julia in 1982, and Johnny's ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO co-star Antonio Banderas in the 2003 Broadway revival. Weinstein has CHICAGO director Rob Marshall on board. "There are roles for six women in the movie who have to be beautiful and sing and dance . . . it's a terrible assignment to cast this," Weinstein told reporters, but director Marshall interjected, "Thrilling!" For the six major female roles, Weinstein says, "I'm thinking Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger." Asked how he'll pay all the A-list actresses' salaries, Weinstein told the New York Post, "We'll figure it out." And for the role of Guido? Weinstein and Marshall are said to be considering George Clooney, Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas and (you guessed it) Johnny Depp. Thanks to Gilbert's Girl for this juicy rumor--while it's not likely we'll find Johnny on board, it will be interesting to see how Weinstein handles the math for NINE. --Part-Time Poet
The Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place in New York City from April 26 through May 6, 2007, will show the premiere of the documentary BRANDO. The film combines some never-before seen footage of the late actor with interviews with friends and colleagues, including Johnny Depp, Martin Scorsese, and Al Pacino. A production of Turner Classic Movies, the documentary will also air on the TCM cable channel on May 1st (Part 1) and May 2nd (Part 2) at 8 pm Eastern and Pacific, with repeat performances at 11 pm each day.
"Marlon Brando is probably the most influential actor of American cinema and one of the greatest cultural icons of the 20th century," notes TCM on their website. "Brando changed the way we thought about acting and about movie stardom. [. . . It's] hard to imagine the performances of the Deans, DeNiros and Depps without the influence--conscious or not--of Brando's work. [. . .] Even now after his death, he remains an indelible screen persona and often still the actor against whom others are judged." Thanks to Charlene for information about the Tribeca Film Festival and Theresa for Turner Classic Movies data. You can read more about the Brando documentary here: http://www.tcm.com/2007/brando/index.jsp --Part-Time Poet
Japanese Depp fans have a reason to celebrate once more--Johnny Depp will return to Japan for the Asian premiere of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END. The premiere will be held on Wednesday, May 23rd, with Johnny arriving in Japan on the 21st or 22nd, depending on travel arrangements. He will fly to Japan after attending the world premiere of AT WORLD'S END at Disneyland on Saturday evening, May 19th. According to the press release, Johnny will be accompanied by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, and co-star Geoffrey Rush; the report also mentions Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Chow-Yun-Fat, but the wording is ambiguous, so at this time their attendance at the premiere is not confirmed.
Johnny's visits to Japan are becoming an annual event--he went to Tokyo for the premiere of DEAD MAN'S CHEST last July, and for CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY in 2005, and received wonderfully warm receptions from huge crowds. Thanks to Charlotte Depp and GAO for news about the premiere--we're looking forward to your reports. --Part-Time Poet
Readers of the influential British science fiction and fantasy magazine SFX voted Johnny Depp the Best Actor award for his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST. In the best film category, the dark allegory CHILDREN OF MEN edged out DEAD MAN'S CHEST, while Best Actress was awarded to Natalie Portman for her role in V FOR VENDETTA. Best Director went to Christopher Nolan for his film about competing 19th century magicians, THE PRESTIGE. Interesting choices! "The last twelve months have been a truly exceptional time for science fiction," notes SFX editor Dave Bradley, "with the genre dominating the cinema screen and our TV schedules." The Zone thanks Emma for posting the news--you can read the full list of winners, including the British television categories, on the News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
If you are longing to be among the very first audience to see PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, and you have plenty of cash to donate to a very worthy cause, you're in luck: Disneyland is selling premiere tickets to the public in hopes of raising more than $3 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Only twelve hundred tickets will be available, however, and the cost will be steep: $1,500 per ticket. You can order tickets at www.piratespremiere.com. The premiere will be Saturday, May 19th at Disneyland in Anaheim, California--you've heard of it; the happiest place on earth.
"Disney is dedicated to making dreams come true and we're extremely proud to be lending our support to the Make-A-Wish Foundation with this benefit World Premiere of PIRATES to make a difference," says Disney chairman Dick Cook. "The Studio is extremely excited about the upcoming release of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, and we're pulling out all the stops to give it the send-off it deserves with a magnificent gala event at Disneyland." Disney has jump-started the fundraising with an initial donation of more than $1 million to Make-A-Wish, and in addition, the company will underwrite all the costs of the premiere, so 100% of the ticket sales will benefit Make-A-Wish.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and Make-A-Wish International will share in the proceeds from the premiere; both organizations are dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Fifty Make-A-Wish kids and their families will be Disney guests at the premiere, welcomed to the events at no charge. Says Cook, "Disney has been a longtime supporter of this wonderful organization and we're excited to be doing something special to bring smiles to the children and their families, giving them magical moments to share." Johnny Depp is also a longtime supporter of Make-A-Wish; he has been actively involved with the organization since his days on 21 JUMP STREET.
While the two previous PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN premieres have been spectacular, the AWE premiere promises to outshine them: "This year, we get to do a huge amount of good for a lot of kids," says Lylle Breier, Disney's senior VP of special events, who promises that AWE will be "the most exciting red carpet ever." Thanks to Theresa for sharing the news; you can read all the details on the Zone's News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
If you've been eagerly awaiting the release of Johnny Depp's appearance on INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO on DVD, we have a bit of bad news about that--instead of an early May release, the date has now been pushed back to September 4, 2007. No reason has been given for the delay, reports David Lambert of TVshowsonDVD.com. Thanks to DeepinDepp for the update; we'll just have to wait until September to see the extra footage from Johnny's appearance reportedly included on the DVD. --Part-Time Poet
Congratulations to the cast and crew of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, which won the Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Movie of 2007. The awards ceremony was held at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night, March 31st and was broadcast on the Nickelodeon channel; viewers saw Orlando Bloom accept the award and graciously thank the voters. Although Johnny Depp was nominated as Favorite Movie Actor for DEAD MAN'S CHEST (and co-star Keira Knightley was nominated as Favorite Movie Actress), the younger set chose to spread the trophies around, honoring Adam Sandler (for CLICK) and Dakota Fanning (for CHARLOTTE'S WEB). Thanks to DeepinDepp for posting the Saturday night play-by-play on the News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
Once again, rumors are circulating that Captain Jack Sparrow may not hang up his compass for good at the end of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END. According to Mary MacNamara's story in the Los Angeles Times, "Word on the Walt Disney Studios backlot is that, while AT WORLD'S END is the end of the trilogy, it may not be the end of the franchise. According to insiders, Johnny Depp has said he would be interested in keeping the swaggering Capt. Jack Sparrow alive in other pirate adventures and, as the film's production director Rick Heinrichs says, 'If Johnny's interested, why wouldn't they?'" Adds MacNamara, "Many of the larger set pieces have been kept and put in storage."
Storage will need to be long-term, since Johnny is scheduled to film SHANTARAM for Mira Nair beginning in November; one current rumor on the web which suggests filming of PIRATES 4 would begin in August 2007 is completely false, and has been denied by screenwriter Terry Rossio on his website. Any future piracy, if it happens, will be many months down the road--say, after a script has been written and deals have been signed.
The franchise's largest set piece, The Black Pearl, has returned from her winter berth in Ensenada, Mexico, and is currently anchored in San Pedro; you can see new pictures of the Pearl on the Zone's Porch forum. Many thanks to daisylovesdk for sharing her photos, and to Kimmie for the Los Angeles Times story.
The photo at left, which shows our beloved Captain Jack Sparrow seconds after being slapped (again) comes from this week's STAR Magazine; he gets top billing in their "Coming Attractions" story on page 6 of the issue dated April 9, 2007. --Part-Time Poet
Tim Burton will add a splash of the macabre to Christmastime this year, as DreamWorks announces a limited U.S. release on December 21, 2007 for Burton's film of Stephen Sondheim's musical SWEENEY TODD, starring Johnny Depp as the revenge-obsessed demon barber and Helena Bonham Carter as the pie-maker, Mrs. Lovett. Variety reports that the film will enter wide release in North America on January 11, 2008. Release in the UK is scheduled for January 25, 2008. Encouraging news--despite a few recent production delays, SWEENEY TODD is still on course to make its original release dates. The Zone thanks Theresa and DeepinDepp for the stories from Comingsoon.net and Variety.
"I've always wanted to do a musical and SWEENEY TODD is my favorite," Tim Burton told the press recently. "Stephen's blend of humor, horror and emotion is something that has always connected with me." Composer-lyricist Sondheim had equally nice things to say about the artists currently involved in bringing his work to the screen: "Sometimes a story or stage production has to wait a long time until the right people come together to turn it into a motion picture. That's what has happened with SWEENEY TODD and I'm excited as well as confident that it will be a first-rate and startling movie." --Part-Time Poet
Do you think moviegoers might be a wee bit anxious about what happens to Captain Jack Sparrow, last seen disappearing into the jaws of the hideous kraken? Apparently yes, since the trailer containing the first bits of footage from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END has been viewed a staggering 350 MILLION times in its first 24 hours! Disney reports "unprecedented global viewership" due to its carefully orchestrated worldwide release: "The theatrical trailer for Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END has reached the largest worldwide audience ever for a theatrical trailer debut, capturing more than 350 million viewers in a 24-hour period."
The trailer launched during ABC-TV's "Dancing with the Stars" on Monday night, where it reached an audience of 22 million (no surprise that "Dancing" was the evening's #1 show). The trailer was then released on the Internet and began appearing on television in 61 countries around the world. Disney estimates a worldwide television viewership of more than 300 million, including 52 million in Japan alone; the TV numbers and the Internet numbers exceed 350 million viewers for the first day. Says Jim Gallagher, President, Buena Vista Pictures Marketing, “While we expected a good degree of anticipation and enthusiasm for the new trailer, the final figures for viewers across the globe over the past few days have truly exceeded our wildest expectations." Well done! The Zone thanks emma for sharing the news. --Part-Time Poet
Robert Rodriguez is on the interview circuit, promoting his highly anticipated film GRINDHOUSE (co-directed with buddy Quentin Tarantino). Never reluctant to discuss his future film projects or his favorite actors, Rodriguez told Shaun Adler of MTV that he has Johnny Depp in mind as his protagonist for the third installment of SIN CITY. The director had hoped to cast Johnny in the original SIN CITY, but the scheduling didn't work out: "He was interested in doing the Jackie Boy character that Benicio [del Toro] played," Rodriguez says, "but he was doing that movie LIBERTINE in Europe and it just kept getting pushed and delayed and went right through our shooting schedule."
Now Rodriguez hopes to be able to reunite with Johnny, who played the unforgettable Agent Sands in ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, when cameras roll for SIN CITY 3, which will focus on the Frank Miller story "Hell and Back." Rodriguez wants Johnny to play Wallace, "a brooding artist who, due to being drugged repetitively, wanders through most of the tale hallucinating," reports MTV. Says Rodriguez, "I kept going, 'Gosh, Jackie Boy is a small part, he could be really good [as Wallace].'" When Johnny's schedule prevented him from appearing in the first SIN CITY, Rodriguez reflects, "I thought maybe it was meant to be." We hope so, too. But before SIN CITY 3 can happen, the director will have to shoot SIN CITY 2, which is based on the Miller story "A Dame to Kill For" and features many characters from the original film.
Thanks to RumLover for sharing the news; there is a SIN CITY discussion underway on the News & Views forum. We'd love to see Johnny re-team with Robert Rodriguez on any future project. They make beautiful music together. --Part-Time Poet
Many thanks to the UK's Daily Mail for publishing the first picture of Johnny Depp in character as Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The photo was taken on Monday, March 26th as Johnny returned to work on the Tim Burton film after a brief hiatus.
The Sweeney look--very pale, clean-shaven face, chin length curly dark hair--reminds us a bit of previous Tim Burton protagonists, notably Edward Scissorhands and Ichabod Crane. The costume consists of a full-sleeved ivory shirt with a wing collar, a dark brown printed ascot, a double-breasted brown vest, and navy blue pin-striped trousers. And yes, that is a straight razor hanging from Sweeney's leather belt.
You can read a lively discussion of the SWEENEY TODD costume on the Pit, and a discussion about Johnny Depp's return to work on the Zone's News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
Contrary to some published reports (for example, the current issue of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY), Johnny Depp is now back at work filming Tim Burton's version of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical SWEENEY TODD. After a brief hiatus, production resumed on March 26th at Pinewood Studios outside of London, with Johnny playing the Demon Barber of Fleet Street opposite Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett. Although normally we deplore the presence of the paparazzi as they trail Johnny Depp through life, we acknowledge that the European photo agency BrunoPress has paparazzi photos on their site which document Johnny Depp's presence at the Pinewood set today, March 27th. Since Johnny's return to work must also signal that his daughter Lily-Rose continues to recover from her recent illness, we have many reasons to celebrate on the Zone today.
The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for the excellent news. We send our best wishes to Johnny and his family, and to Tim Burton and the cast and crew of SWEENEY TODD. --Part-Time Poet
Great news! Visionary director Tim Burton will be honored by the Venice Film Festival with the Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement. Yes, September 5, 2007 will be "Tim Burton Day" at the Venice festival (and of course on the Zone as well--how could we resist?). Nick Vivarelli of Variety reports that the director and his work "will be celebrated [. . .] at the Palazzo del Cinema with several special events that may include a sneak peak at his SWEENEY TODD adaptation, now in production."
"Tim Burton is a cinematic genius, the most imaginative child of the new age of cinema," says Venice Film Festival director Marco Muller. "He has a unique talent of being able to imbue his fantasies with emotional depth. He can build the most visionary dreamscapes (that reach to the eternal child within us), without ever forgetting his sense of aesthetic integrity and his natural sympathy for the alienated outsider." All true . . . and we also admire his impeccable ability to match actors and roles. Tim passed over stars with cinematic clout to cast Johnny Depp in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS; their work since then has included ED WOOD, SLEEPY HOLLOW, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, CORPSE BRIDE, and now SWEENEY TODD.
The Zone thanks FANtasticJD and emma for breaking the news; you can read the Variety article and other publicity releases on the Zone's News & Views forum. Congratulations to Tim on this well-deserved honor! --Part-Time Poet
The long-awaited trailer for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, will air during ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" (8 to 10 p.m.) on Monday, March 19th. If you live in another region, fear not, because once "Dancing with the Stars" concludes in the Pacific time zone, the AWE trailer will be making its debut online. Disney reports, "Following the broadcast debut, the trailer will premiere online at Yahoo.com in High Definition, on Disney.com, and other premium online destinations around the world at 10:00 pm PST on Monday, March 19th." We can't wait! --Part-Time Poet
Troubling news surfaced in the British press yesterday, with the Daily Mirror reporting that Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis's cherished daughter Lily-Rose, 7, was seriously ill in a London hospital. Today Johnny's publicist Robin Baum brought good news to anxious Depp fans around the world: Lily-Rose "is doing much better," Ms. Baum reports. She told USA TODAY, "The family greatly appreciates the continued support and respect of their privacy."
Production on Johnny's current film, Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD, will continue; DreamWorks spokesman Marvin Levy told the press that "they have been accommodating the schedule to meet (Depp's) needs."
The Zone thanks Denise, Kittycat88, Theresa, Donna B., and Gilbert's Girl for bringing us news. We are all thrilled to hear that Lily-Rose's condition is improving; we wish her a swift and complete recovery, and we send our best wishes and prayers to all the Depp family. --Part-Time Poet
Other news has stated that filming on Sweeny Todd has been completely stopped until Johnny's daughter is completely cured. There is speculation about Sweeny Todd not making the cut if Johnny doesn't return to work soon.
Good news for Region 1 viewers--the gangster classic DONNIE BRASCO, directed by Mike Newell and starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, will be released in a new "Extended Cut" on May 8, 2007. The new edition's running time of 147 minutes is 20 minutes longer than the original DVD release. Patrick Luce of monstersandcritics.com confirms that there will be "20 minutes of never-before-seen footage added back into the film." Apparently the extras will be repeats from the first edition, including a director's commentary and the feature "Donnie Brasco: Out from the Shadows." List price for the Extended Cut of DONNIE BRASCO is $19.94; Amazon is offering a pre-release price of $14.99. You can also pre-order the new DONNIE BRASCO with the DVD of Johnny's appearance on INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO from Amazon for $26.18; that offer includes free shipping.
The Zone thanks Theresa for bringing us the news. DONNIE BRASCO celebrates the tenth anniversary of its release this year; what better way to mark the occasion than with a new extended version of this great film? --Part-Time Poet
No sooner had the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out their Oscar statuettes on Sunday night than the drums started beating for the next awards season. Yes, that means predictions are being made about films that haven't even been shot yet, much less released--I guess that's why they call Hollywood "The Dream Factory." While Oscar pundit David Poland acknowledges the absurdity of making any predictions at this point, he nonetheless is willing to hazard "just one guess" for next year's race--and it's an Oscar nomination for Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
"I believe now that Johnny Depp is a 95% bet to be nominated for Best Actor as the title character in SWEENEY TODD," says Poland, "in a very, very crowded field of 2007 male movie performances . . . and an 80% chance to win." Poland continues, "Word from the set about his performance--from multiple sources--is excellent. [. . .] Huge box office power [from the PIRATES movies] followed by an unexpected (though people have come to expect the unexpected from Depp) performance as the lead of a Grand Guignol opera . . . [would be] manna from heaven to Academy voters who are more than ready to deliver this guy an Oscar."
Poland sees Johnny's awards chances bolstered by his two previous Best Actor nominations and the fact that "he is seen as an artist by almost everyone." Adds Poland, "The film can miss and Depp will still be nominated if he is any good at all. And it seems unlikely that he will be anything less than fantastic . . . which makes him the one clear frontrunner for 2007/8's award season."
Wow! Here's one prediction we'd love to see come true. Thanks to emma for posting David Poland's article on the News & Views forum . . . you can read his entire argument there, and early or not, it's fascinating. --Part-Time Poet
Congratulations to John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson, and Allen Hall, who left the Kodak Theater after the 77th Academy Awards clutching golden statues for Achievement in Visual Effects for their stunning work on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST. After his win, John Knoll said, "I've always felt that being nominated for an Academy Award is a tremendous honor. With effects-driven films becoming increasingly more sophisticated with each passing year, it makes receiving the Oscar this time around that much more special. That said, this is truly a team effort and the ILM crew is a very special group that deserves every bit of the recognition this award brings with it." Added Hal Hickel, "I couldn't be more proud of the work that our team put into this film. It's the perfect example of technology and creativity coming together to further the art of cinematic storytelling, and at the end of the day that's what we all strive to do."
The Zone thanks Joni for posting the news, and DeepinDepp for the interview with the winners. You can read the full interview on the Zone's News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
Cinematical reports that Johnny Depp has "shown interest" in a film script concerning the life and mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe. This is only a rumor at this point, with no confirmation from Johnny's people or a studio . . . however, Johnny as the great horror/mystery writer and poet is one rumored project that we'd love to see happen. According to Cinematical, the script (called FOREVERMORE) interweaves the puzzling events of Poe's last days--the official cause of his death is a medical mystery--with his memories and his writing, as his life "flashes before his eyes." Johnny's affection for Poe as an author is well known; he and the late Vincent Price, who starred in many films based on Poe's work, used to read Poe during the filming of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. The Zone thanks Red Shoes for posting the Cinematical article on the News & Views forum. --Part-Time Poet
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror films has announced the nominations for the 33rd Annual Saturn Awards, and box-office champion PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST received a nod as Best Fantasy Film--congratulations! Other films receiving nominations were CHARLOTTE'S WEB, ERAGON, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, STRANGER THAN FICTION, and SUPERMAN RETURNS. Congratulations also to Bill Nighy, who was nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his role as undersea nemesis Davy Jones. Penny Rose received a nomination for Best Costume, and Ve Neill and Joel Harlow for Best Makeup; John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall were nominated for Best Special Effects. We send our applause and best wishes to all of these gifted artists.
Nominees have quite a while to wait to learn the results; the Saturn Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Universal City on Thursday, May 10, 2007. The Zone thanks DeepinDepp for the news; you can read the official press release and a full list of nominees in all categories on the Zone's News & Views forum.
The new issue of TOTAL FILM (UK) names Johnny Depp the "favourite actor of our lifetime" and introduces their brand new interview with Johnny with a paragraph of praise: "Any way you take him, he's cool: goatee, glasses, cowboy hat, smoking, non-smoking, dressed up, dressed down, dressed as a woman. Or a pirate. Or a wonky, wacko sweet-seller. . . . He can do anything. Really well." Now that we have an accord, on to some of TOTAL FILM's questions--these contain no spoilers about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END:
TOTAL FILM: Why do you think audiences have taken to [Captain Jack Sparrow] so much?
JD: I really have no idea. [. . . W]hat I thought would be the greatest challenge would be to create a character that a three-year-old would enjoy and an 83-year-old would enjoy. That was my goal. And the main ingredient of why I think he works for me at least is irreverence. Just total irreverence. Silliness. Not caring.
TOTAL FILM: He doesn't care. And yet, he always has a plan . . . .
JD: [Laughs] Oh, yes, he's always got a plan! Even when he doesn't have a plan, he's got a plan. Amazingly, he always sort of lands on his feet. He's kind of feline in that way. He has more than nine lives, that's for sure.
TOTAL FILM: Even after the success of the first film, no one was expecting the billion-dollar juggernaut that was DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Was it a surprise to you?
JD: Uh, yeah. It was shocking. Still