JohnnyDepp-Zone.com

During the London press junket for SWEENEY TODD, Johnny Depp spoke to reporter Rachna Prasad of NDTV India about the future of his long-anticipated film SHANTARAM, which was scheduled to begin shooting in early 2008 but has now been postponed by Warner Bros. , one more casualty of the Writers Guild of America strike. Here is a transcript of that interview:

JOHNNY DEPP: Because of what’s going on with the writers’ strike and everything, we put the movie basically on “Pause.” We just hit “Pause” for the moment, to see how everything goes with the writers’ strike. Mira’s [Nair, the director] work with Eric Roth [the screenwriter] has been amazing, and I think they’re getting close to something very, very . . . nearly perfect. But with the writers’ strike, we have to make sure that everything is–that you’ve got all your ducks in a row, so to speak.

RACHNA PRASAD: Do you think that Bombay (Mumbai) will be the place to shoot, when you do it?

JOHNNY DEPP: Oh, I think, yeah. There would be no place . . . no way to replicate that. You’d have to be in that area–in Bombay. And there’s nobody better than Mira to capture that. She has a real strong feeling for the place, obviously.

RACHNA PRASAD: And any feelings about Amitabh Bachchan, who is a big Indian icon?

JOHNNY DEPP: I have, you know, utmost respect for him. I mean, [he’s] a very strong actor, a very important actor. He’s a very interesting man, and I have great respect for him.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the interview. And yes, that’s a new photo of Johnny Depp (thanks to Bonnie and AnaMaria); to see a larger version, click here: http://tinyurl.com/yqy8zv –Part-Time Poet

If you haven’t been to the official website for SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET in a while, you’re in for a delightful treat–the site has received a major upgrade. Music from the soundtrack plays constantly, so you can sample Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and the rest of the cast singing Stephen Sondheim’s complex score while reading the production notes on the film (click on “The Film” to read these). Click on “Video” and you can access the trailer, the TV spots, and some great footage of Johnny Depp in the studio singing. The photo gallery has 24 beautiful stills from the film, and there are wallpapers, banners and buddy icons to download. Definitely worth a visit! The Zone thanks Mrs Pink for posting the news; you can visit the official SWEENEY TODD site here: http://tinyurl.com/2ryjjh –Part-Time Poet