JohnnyDepp-Zone.com

Congratulations to Johnny Depp! This month, the British Film Institute honors his body of work with a two-week-long film festival to be held at the prestigious National Film Theatre in London. Nine films will be screened during the retrospective, which begins on April 14th and ends on April 30th. The films chosen to represent Johnny’s twenty years of outstanding movie performances include EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, ED WOOD, DEAD MAN, DONNIE BRASCO, FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, BEFORE NIGHT FALLS, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, and FINDING NEVERLAND.

“Depp has [. . .] mapped out one of the most idiosyncratic resumes on moviedom’s A-list, channelling his charisma into audaciously stylised performances for [Tim] Burton, Jim Jarmusch and Terry Gilliam, exploiting or camouflaging his preposterous beauty as the part requires, and amassing a repertoire of accents to rival Meryl Streep’s,” writes the NFT’s Jessica Winter. “Now that he has a mega-grossing franchise under his belt (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN), there’s no one currently on the Hollywood radar to match Depp’s combination of star power with adventurous taste, cockeyed integrity and flair for the without-a-net performance.”

Those UK Zoners lucky enough to live in London or commuting distance can check out the NFT screening schedule HERE, and can book tickets online HERE. Ticket prices are 8.20 pounds per movie, but there are discounts for NFT members, students, and seniors, as well as other concessions available.

The Zone thanks Edda, one of our London members, for posting the good news on the News & Views forum. We hope many UK Zoners are able to take advantage of the opportunity to see Johnny’s finest films on the big screen in a theatre designed to show them at their best.

The London weekly entertainment magazine TimeOut features Johnny Depp on its cover this week, in conjunction with the Johnny Depp film festival scheduled at London’s prestigious National Film Theatre from April 14th through April 30th. The article is entitled “Johnny, Remember Me: Depp Celebrates 20 Years of Maverick Movie Making.” While there is no new interview with Johnny, Edda reports that the retrospective article contains some nice pictures. If you would like to purchase a copy of issue 1807 of TimeOut for your Depp collection, single copies are available at the TimeOut website HERE, and they ship worldwide. The Zone thanks Edda for posting the story and the link on the News & Views forum.

Variety reports today that Graham King, one of the producers of SHANTARAM, has just signed a two-year first-look deal at Warner Bros. Pictures. Under the arrangement, says Variety, “King’s Initial Entertainment Group will shift its deals with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and with [Johnny Depp’s] Infinitum Nihil to Warners.” Warners has been actively involved in the production of SHANTARAM from the beginning–Warner Bros. signed the $2 million check to purchase the rights to Gregory David Roberts’ novel last October, on the strength of Johnny’s interest in the project. The Zone thanks emma for breaking this story and posting it on the News & Views forum.

Warners production president Jeff Robinov sounds delighted to get “the first look” at the movies King is producing in the next two years. “Graham’s passion for making movies, his great taste in material and his outstanding relationships with filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and actors like Johnny and Leo is a tremendous asset to us,” Robinov told Variety. The article confirms that Graham King’s next projects will be Martin Scorsese’s THE DEPARTED (King produced Scorsese’s last two films, THE AVIATOR and GANGS OF NEW YORK, both with Leonardo DiCaprio)and the Johnny Depp vehicle SHANTARAM with Plan B and Depp’s Infinitum Nihil. SHANTARAM is a drama about an escaped convict who tries to disappear in Bombay. Gregory David Roberts is currently adapting the screenplay from his own novel.

If you would like to know more about SHANTARAM, stop by ONBC this month, as the book club prepares to read Gregory Roberts’ novel. Liz and DeppintheHeartofTexas have lots of interesting background information to share which will enhance your appreciation of Roberts’ fascinating tale. You can jump into the discussion anytime!