Johnny Depp to Play Whitey Bulger in Black Mass

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=99832

Johnny Depp has been attached to Cross Creek's crime thriller Black Mass as Boston's most notorious gangster, Whitey Bulger, to be co-produced and co-financed with Exclusive Media, and directed by Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man), it was announced today by Cross Creek Pictures President Brian Oliver and Senior Vice President Tyler Thompson and Exclusive Media's Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East.

Black Mass will be released by Universal Pictures in the US through Cross Creek’s distribution deal with the studio. The film is scheduled for a May 2013 start date.

The film will be produced by Brian Oliver, Tyler Thompson, Nigel Sinclair, Tobin Armbrust, John Lesher, and Christi Dembrowski. Cross Creek Pictures Sr. VP of Production Adam Kassan, will oversee production for the company. Alex Walton, Exclusive Media's President of International Sales and Distribution, will introduce Black Mass to overseas buyers at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.

Cross Creek recently purchased the New York Times bestselling book "Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob," written by former Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerald O'Neill and published in 2001 by Harper Collins. O'Neill is a Pulitzer, Hancock and Loeb prizes winner and Lehr, a Pulitzer finalist, has also won the Hancock and Loeb awards. Writer Mark Mallouk wrote a completely new screenplay adaptation of the book, following the June 2011 capture of Bulger, who had been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for more than a decade.

"I could not be more thrilled to have the biggest star in the world and Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson to finally bring this incredible story to the big screen. We have been working on this project since we originally optioned the book in 2005. 'Black Mass' expertly details the twists and turns of this highly complex story, painting a vivid portrait of Boston's underbelly and its corrupt political machine, as well as exposing the worst scandal in FBI history. It's also an examination of loyalty to family, Irish heritage, and South Boston.-- Commented Brian Oliver.

"We are thrilled by the opportunity to bring Mark Mallouk's terrific screenplay to the screen with perhaps this generation's biggest and best actor and a director who's work makes him one of America's iconic filmmakers. Occasionally a film project comes along that is truly exceptional - from the terrific subject matter to the chance to collaborate again with our long time friends and partners at Cross Creek, and to have the opportunity work with the unique and inimitable Johnny Depp. We are truly delighted to be involved in 'Black Mass,'” commented Nigel Sinclair and Guy East.

Black Mass tells the true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf. However, after the Feds closed in on their targets, they double crossed Bulger and ultimately prosecuted him, along with his partner in crime and the original FBI agent working with him.

​

 

[redhawk23]

It almost seems redundant after the Departed.

good to see Johnny Depp doing something different for once though.

 

[Fives]

This could be interesting. While it does have similarities to the Departed, I can see how they'd approach this differently, and Bulger evading the FBI for over a decade is an interesting story in itself. It should be a good film for Depp though.

 

[kvz5]

I didn't know Plemons was on this. What happened to him?

Depp and Sienna Miller:

 

[Schlosser85]

Is that...Joel Edgerton??

 

[Quasimod0]

I don't see him in either picture

 

[Schlosser85]

Who's the big guy on the beach?

 

[kvz5]

Jesse Plemons.

 

[Deserana]

Aka Todd aka Bad Matt Damon from Breaking Bad.

 

[kvz5]

I like the Meth Damon name that someone coined better.

 

[StarLord]

Steven Weintraub of Collider from CinemaCon.

BLACK MASS trailer is all about selling Johnny Depp as a not to be f***** with gangster. And it worked

 

[StarLord]

Johnny Depp’s ‘Black Mass’ Provokes Strong Response at CinemaCon

Exhibitors got their first look at Johnny Depp’s gangster drama “Black Mass” at the Warner Bros. panel at CinemaCon on Tuesday, drawing notable reactions that could build up momentum ahead of the film’s Sept. 18 release.

Depp was a no-show, but director Scott Cooper took time to praise his portrayal of Boston’s Whitey Bulger. “It’s a performance for the ages,” he asserted.

Cooper said the movie takes a look at abuse of power and the bonds of brotherhood. In the clip shown, Depp looked somewhat unrecognizable, with piercing blue eyes, combed-back blonde hair and a fearsome intensity — mostly in a dinner scene with David Harbour, who plays FBI supervisor John Morris.

The footage showed a few glimpses of Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger’s law-abiding brother and a Massachusetts state senator. Joel Edgerton is playing disgraced FBI agent John Connolly, who aided Bulger and was sentenced to 40 years in prison despite maintaining his innocence.

Jesse Plemons (“Breaking Bad”) will portray Bulger’s longtime partner-in-crime, Kevin Weeks, and Sienna Miller will play his lover, Catherine Greig. Dakota Johnson has been cast as Bulger’s former girlfriend and mother of his only child. Other cast members are Rory Cochrane, Julianne Nicholson, Adam Scott, Jeremy Strong, Brad Carter, W. Earl Brown and Corey Stoll.

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/j...okes-strong-response-at-cinemacon-1201477124/

 

[Schlosser85]

It'd be nice to see Depp actually act again. Hopefully this is it.

 

[MadVillainy]

It'd be nice to see Depp actually act again. Hopefully this is it.

Exactly my thoughts.

 

[Schlosser85]

Ironically I think his last serious performance was another gangster, John Dillinger in Public Enemies.

 

[MadVillainy]

Yeah

Didn't like that movie too much though. I was really hyped for it but it was boring as hell to me

 

[Airwings]

Ironically I think his last serious performance was another gangster, John Dillinger in Public Enemies.

He was in Transcendence, actually.

 

[Schlosser85]

Yea but that tanked hard so it barely counts.

 

[Airwings]

I liked it, and Tourist too

 

[kvz5]

Source - http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/2...s?hootPostID=afdd8d5f77c8fa0cd16123e1f82a91c1

 

[Schlosser85]

Okay, can't deny, Depp looks pretty badass right there.

 

[Dave McFly]

Looks like a bad ass version of his character from fear and loathing to me there

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

EDIT: wrong thread

 

[Black Narcissus]

Source - http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/2...s?hootPostID=afdd8d5f77c8fa0cd16123e1f82a91c1

Damn.

I hope to finally see Depp give a damn about acting. He looks great here.

I hope RDJ would do the same.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Looks great. And agreed, I really hope Cooper got a performance out of him. I love Depp too much to keep seeing him fail. What's worse is that he's a great actor and not only has he had all these consecutive flops, his just isn't inspired anymore.