Wearing his familiar blue plaid shirt, well-ventilated jeans, a navy blue vest, blue sunglasses, and an ecru newsboy cap, Johnny Depp arrived at Nice Airport on Monday, July 28th. Accompanying Johnny were his longtime partner, Vanessa Paradis, and their two children, Lily-Rose and Jack, as well as Vanessa’s bodyguard. Ms. Paradis had just completed a very successful whirlwind tour consisting of ten performances at French music festivals; her concluding concert was at the Paleo Festival in Nyon on Saturday night (July 26th).

Unfortunately the paparazzi were waiting at the airport in Nice and succeeded in taking photographs of the Depp children. The Zone does not publish photographs of the children, as they are not celebrities and deserve to have their privacy respected, but we will share one of Johnny, just to keep you up-to-date. To see JD’s current look, one month post-PUBLIC ENEMIES, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks Bonnie and AnaMaria for the photo and DeepinDepp for breaking the news. –Part-Time Poet

Will Johnny Depp’s next movie role be the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s upcoming 3-D version of Lewis Carroll’s children’s classic ALICE IN WONDERLAND? So far the only casting decision to be officially confirmed by the Disney studios is the selection of Australian Mia Wasikowska to play Alice; however, the Hollywood grapevine is buzzing with reports that Johnny Depp will play the (dare we say it?) quirky Mad Hatter. As rumors go, this one has more credibility than most, as Burton and Depp have collaborated on six previous films, from EDWARD SCISSORHANDS in 1990 through last year’s Golden Globe-winning SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET.

The Burton version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND will be based on a script by Linda Woolverton (THE LION KING), and will be produced by longtime Burton collaborator Richard Zanuck, former Disney chairman Joe Roth, and Jennifer and Suzanne Todd. The film will be presented in Disney Digital 3-D and will be shot with live-action and performance-capture footage. The last official reports had ALICE IN WONDERLAND set to begin principal photography in November, but all scheduling is subject to change due to the labor impasse between the studios and the Screen Actors Guild.

The Zone thanks Sleepy for the news; you can read more about ALICE IN WONDERLAND on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet

Johnny Depp, Keith Richards, Tom Waits and Shane McGowan perform on the follow-up album to ROGUE’S GALLERY, according to BBC arts reporter Rebecca Jones. The original ROGUE’S GALLERY was a two-disc collection of pirate ballads, sea songs and chanteys released in 2006, a project hatched by Johnny Depp and his PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN director Gore Verbinski and produced by Hal Wilner, and featuring Bono, Lou Reed, Sting, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Andrea Corr, and Richard Thompson, among others. These songs provide “an oral history [. . .] of what it was like to be at sea,” one singer tells Rebecca Jones. We’re glad to know there’s more pirate treasure on the way.

The Zone thanks Emma for breaking the news; you can read more on the News & Views forum. To hear Rebecca Jones’ BBC report, CLICK HERE; her revelation of the follow-up album occurs around 4:22. –Part-Time Poet

Director Terry Gilliam, now in post-production on THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, Heath Ledger’s final film, was interviewed recently at the Ischia Film Festival. Gilliam had high praise for Ledger, calling him “a genius.” He also complimented the three actors–Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell–who stepped in to complete Ledger’s role in PARNASSUS after his untimely death last January:

TERRY GILLIAM: The great thing about it is that when Heath died, and we have a character that wasn’t finished in the movie, those three actors [Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell] came along and saved the day. And so the character is now basically four actors creating one character. And that’s . . . it’s very interesting, and maybe even more interesting than it would have been with one actor going all the way through. I’m still not the best judge, because I have in my head what the film was going to be with Heath all the way through, and now there’s a different film there. But all I know is, it’s very funny.

Gilliam sounded proud of his film and genuinely awed by the generosity of the actors who came forward to save the picture and ensure its completion. Despite their high profiles, Depp, Law, and Farrell took no compensation for their work; instead, they donated their salaries to Heath Ledger’s two-year-old daughter, Matilda:

TERRY GILLIAM: The three actors were totally heroic coming in. This doesn’t happen very often . . . where there’s a tragedy like this, and very famous, very successful actors suddenly say, “Okay, we’ll do whatever it takes to help.” They came; they did the work; they allowed the movie to be finished; they didn’t take money–the money goes to Heath’s daughter. That’s extraordinary! And wonderful . . . and when you’re part of that, you think, “Ah, this is maybe why I went into the movies, in the beginning. I thought it would be full of wonderful people.” And in our case, we’ve got a movie full of wonderful people, who did extraordinary things to help.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for sharing the Terry Gilliam interview; you can hear the full inteview HERE; click on the button that says “Interviews” in the upper right, and then select “Interview Terry Gilliam.” –Part-Time Poet

According to Forbes Magazine, which is preoccupied with paychecks, Will Smith was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood last year, earning $80 million for the year beginning June 1, 2007 and ending June 1, 2008; during this time, Smith’s box-office hit I AM LEGEND was released, and he filmed HANCOCK. In second place was Johnny Depp with a reported $72 million, fueled by PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END and SWEENEY TODD, and the filming of PUBLIC ENEMIES. Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers claimed the 3rd-biggest paychecks; the SHREK THE THIRD co-stars each took home $55 million. Rounding out the list of the top five best-paid male actors was Leonardo DiCaprio with $45 million.

Female actors face a pay gap, as the top male stars outearn them by a considerable margin. The highest-paid actress last year was Cameron Diaz, who made $50 million; she is followed by Keira Knightley ($32 million), Jennifer Aniston ($27 million), and Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow, tied with $25 million each.

The Zone thanks Jasper for the news. You can read more on the results of the Forbes survey HERE. –Part-Time Poet

It’s official: Radical Publishing has announced the signing of acclaimed director John Woo to direct the film adaptation of CALIBER, based on Radical Publishing’s CALIBER: FIRST CANON OF JUSTICE, written and created by Sam Sarkar. “Having John Woo on board for this film and Johnny Depp’s company producing is a dream come true,” Barry Levine, President of Radical Publishing, told the press. “I got to fly to China and see John Woo during the production of RED CLIFF. During that time, Sam and I got to hear John’s vision and thoughts on CALIBER, and we both agreed that he is the right kind of artist we needed to bring Sam’s work to life. John Woo is a top tier director, and we are all proud and excited to have him on board.”

“For me as a writer, the dream of telling this story and opening up the world of CALIBER goes back more than twelve years,” said screenwriter Sam Sarkar, “but I’ve been a fan of John Woo’s for even longer than that. It is such a great honor [. . .] to work with John and Terence on the realization of CALIBER. [. . .] I think it is a chance to create something that will really entertain and resonate with people all over the world.”

CALIBER will be produced by John Woo’s Lion Rock Productions, Johnny Depp’s Infinitum-Nihil, and Radical Pictures, the motion picture production company of Radical Publishing. Terence Chang, who is John Woo’s partner at Lion Rock, sounded very happy to be on board: “A big ‘thank you’ to Sam Sarkar for coming up with this brilliant idea,” Chang told the press, “and to him and Barry for bringing it to me. I fell in love with it immediately,” Chang said, “and it is so perfect for John to direct.”

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the good news; you can read the full press release on the News & Views forum in the John Woo thread. –Part-Time Poet

He’s currently making the rounds promoting his new film FELON, but actor Stephen Dorff, who plays John Dillinger’s friend and fellow bank robber Homer Van Meter in Michael Mann’s PUBLIC ENEMIES, couldn’t resist talking about the film he had just wrapped. “FELON jacked me up,” Dorff said about the indie film starring Val Kilmer, “and going into PUBLIC ENEMIES after that, it was an intense five-month movie with [director] Michael Mann. I feel like I’m doing some of the best stuff I’ve done now,” Dorff told Reelz Channel.com. “It’s trippy because I grew up watching guys like Johnny and respecting [his] choices [. . .].”

Asked by a different interviewer to describe what the experience of shooting PUBLIC ENEMIES was like, Dorff replied: “It was awesome. We just finished last week, and it’s a full-on gangster flick–1934, the last year of Dillinger’s life, and shooting real Tommy guns and hanging out of cars, having a ball. It was a journey, with a bunch of great actors.”

Dorff had high praise for his fellow actors: “Johnny [Depp] was incredible to work with, and very sweet to me,” Dorff said. “I’ve known him for years, but had never gotten to work with him. And Marion Cotillard is an incredible actress; Christian Bale, the list goes on. There’s so many great actors in that film.” He had praise for his director as well: “I had a really good time with Michael on it. [. . .] I think it’ll be a really good movie. I think they’re talking about a trailer or teaser going up soon,” Dorff promised. While we’re waiting for the trailer, here’s a PHOTO of Stephen Dorff and Johnny Depp, as Homer Van Meter and John Dillinger, making their escape after a bank robbery.

The Zone thanks Vermontfudge and Emma for the interviews with Stephen Dorff. You can read them HERE and HERE; for a spirited discussion of the interviews, see the Zone’s Porch message board. –Part-Time Poet

Dressed in worn overalls and standing outside an Illinois farmhouse, six-year-old William Nero seems to have stepped out of a Dorothea Lange photograph. No doubt his huge, haunting eyes helped win the young actor his role as a featured extra in Michael Mann’s Depression-era PUBLIC ENEMIES. However, when he reported for work outside St. Anne, Illinois on June 26th, he didn’t know that he would be appearing in a scene with Johnny Depp. His mother Lindsey reports that they didn’t even know which movie William would be shooting that day: “They don’t tell you,” Lindsey explained. “We didn’t get to see the script or anything.”

In William’s case, a script would have been unnecessary: “He doesn’t have any lines, but he screams a little,” Lindsey Nero told a reporter for the Herald Times. She added that William was “so excited” to spend a day on-set with Johnny Depp: “My son was having him recite lines from CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.” The two actors pose for the camera in the photograph at left; to see a full-length version, CLICK HERE, and to see a photo of Johnny Depp and William Nero on set, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the story; you can read more about William Nero on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Thanks also to Emma and Carasun for the photographs. –Part-Time Poet

Signs of things to come: fans of the gothic soap opera DARK SHADOWS have held weekend conventions every year since 1983, but this year’s edition, held at the Burbank Marriott July 18-20, looked toward the future as well as DARK SHADOWS’ celebrated past. The Saturday session featured a panel discussion of the upcoming DARK SHADOWS film, to be produced by Warner Bros., GK Films and Infinitum-Nihil, in which Johnny Depp is expected to star as vampire Barnabas Collins, the role originally created by Jonathan Frid.

Zone member Sweetchia attended the panel discussion and posted the following summary of the event: “It was really nothing we don’t already know. [. . .] Johnny has purchased the rights. He will play Barnabas; Tim [Burton] is the top director in consideration; there is a script in the works; Warner Bros. is very excited about the property, and all will depend on getting the script done and arranging everyone’s schedule.” Regarding the relationship between the future and past Barnabas Collins, Sweetchia said, “Johnny has yet to meet Jonathan [Frid, who attended this year’s DARK SHADOWS Festival], and they hope perhaps Jonathan will make a cameo, though Frid himself said he’s been out of the biz for a long time and has no notion to return.” As for the overall mood of the conventioneers regarding the new film, “Everyone was very excited about Johnny as Barnabas, and they feel very positive about it getting off the ground, but are cautious.”

The Zone thanks Sweetchia for her eyewitness report, and DeepinDepp and Dharma_bum for additional news. You can read more about the DARK SHADOWS Festival on the Zone’s News & Views forum. By the way, the Los Angeles Times listing on the DARK SHADOWS Festival incorrectly stated that Johnny Depp would participate in the panel discussion on the new film. The Times was wrong; JD did not attend the event, nor was he ever scheduled to do so. –Part-Time Poet

Having completed the filming of PUBLIC ENEMIES by its June 30th deadline, producer Kevin Misher took pains to assure Los Angeles Times reporter Patrick Goldstein (author of “The Big Picture” blog) that director Michael Mann did not sacrifice authenticity in order to finish on time. Quite the opposite: “Whenever we could we shot exactly where the events happened–if we could find where Dillinger walked, we shot where he walked,” Misher said. “We shot at the Biograph Theater on the very street where Dillinger was killed, so that scene was exactly where the real events happened. All we did was change the facades of the buildings and revert them back to period. We also shot at the Little Bohemia Lodge up in northern Wisconsin, which is the scene of a famous gunfight between the FBI and Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson.”

Misher sounded proud of PUBLIC ENEMIES and confident of its box-office appeal as well as its artistry. “If you’re looking for action, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” Misher promised. “We’ve got three bank robberies, two prison breaks and who knows how many shootouts.” And PUBLIC ENEMIES also has a strong romantic storyline between Johnny Depp’s John Dillinger and Marion Cotillard’s Billie Frechette. “It’s a seminal gangster saga, but it’s also a classic doomed lovers story,” explained Marc Shmuger, the chairman of Universal Studios. “They meet on the run and you know that they know that the relationship can’t last, which makes the film really heart-wrenching.” Added Shmuger, “With that combination, well, [. . .] not that many filmmakers in the world besides Michael [Mann] could do that.”

While conceding that PUBLIC ENEMIES was “a tough shoot,” Shmuger sees that as a necessary result of director Mann’s passion for his material. “When Sam Fuller said that ‘Film is a battleground–love, hate, violence, action, death–in a word, emotion,‘ he must have been thinking about Michael Mann,” Shmuger told the Times. “With every movie, he goes into battle. [. . . ] But that’s the only way Michael knows how to make movies. And we’re willing to take the bet that out of that commitment and passion will come a great movie.”

The Zone thanks Sleepy for sharing the Patrick Goldstein article. You can read it on the Zone’s News & Views forum or HERE.

PUBLIC ENEMIES comes to theaters July 1, 2009–and we’re counting the days. –Part-Time Poet

The many generous souls who donated to the Zone’s 2008 Birthday Project in support of American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin will now find their gift acknowledged on the hospital’s website. You can read the article, entitled “Depp Fans Donate to Children’s Hospital,” HERE. This year’s project raised $7,402.63 in less than six weeks, by far the highest total in our history. That’s truly astonishing considering the tough economic conditions this spring; we couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome of the project or prouder of our members. Together we have done something to not only honor Johnny Depp, but also to bring comfort to seriously ill children and their families. What a joy.

Many thanks to Stephanie Breiby at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics for writing such a thoughtful article about the Zone’s Birthday Project, and thanks to all of you who supported this year’s effort and made it such a tremendous success. Thanks most of all to Johnny Depp himself, for bringing out the best in us. The joy he has given us can never be repaid; we just try to follow in his footsteps. –Part-Time Poet

Today’s Variety reports that acclaimed director John Woo will direct the film adaptation of CALIBER, based on the newly launched comic book series written by Infinitum-Nihil’s Sam Sarkar. “Radical Comics’ hit story sets King Arthur and his knights as 19th century gunslingers in the Pacific Northwest,” says Variety. The film will be a three-way co-production of Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil, Barry Levine’s Radical Comics and John Woo’s U.S. company Lion Rock, and the UK’s Screen Daily is estimating the film’s budget at $60-$80 million. That’s a nice neighborhood!

John Woo is currently editing the second part of his epic RED CLIFF, which is scheduled for a January release in Asia. He is also committed to direct Lion Rock’s 1949, described as a period romance “set against the tumultuous background of the Chinese Revolution.” Budgeted at $40 million, 1949 is now casting and is scheduled (pending a SAG contract, of course) to shoot after the completion of post-production work on RED CLIFF. The Western CALIBER will follow 1949; look for more details about this project to emerge at the upcoming Comic-Con in San Diego. To see the gorgeous poster for CALIBER, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks Sleepy and Emma for the news about CALIBER. Congratulations to Sam Sarkar! –Part-Time Poet

Yes, this venture of Sleepy’s and mine has been underway for four full years now, continuing the Johnny Depp Zone tradition that goes back more than 10 years. We officially opened the “new” Zone on July 9, 2004, the first anniversary of the release of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. When we began the website, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY had just started shooting at Pinewood, CORPSE BRIDE had just been announced, there were rumors FINDING NEVERLAND would finally be released in the fall, and Johnny’s production company, Infinitum Nihil, had just been formed. THE LIBERTINE was in post-production and headed for a work-in-progress showing at the Toronto Film Festival.

How time flies! Not only have we seen FINDING NEVERLAND, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, CORPSE BRIDE and THE LIBERTINE make their way into theaters, but we’ve watched every step of the production of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequels DEAD MAN’S CHEST and AT WORLD’S END; we’ve heard Johnny sing his way to a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination in SWEENEY TODD; and we’ve eagerly watched the filming of Michael Mann’s PUBLIC ENEMIES. Now we look foward to the settling of the SAG contract and the announcement of Johnny’s next project.

As we celebrate and reminisce on the Porch today, I’d like to thank Sleepy and the Zone staff–Theresa, Joni, Shadow, Liz, and DeppintheHeartofTexas–for their dedication and hard work. Many thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way, and to all of our members for making the Zone a wonderful place to be. Thanks to Liz for sharing her beautiful artwork. Most of all, thanks and much love always to Johnny Depp, for being a continual source of inspiration and delight–he’s the reason we’re here! –Part-Time Poet

Oprah Noodlemantra’s Book Club, the oldest Johnny Depp book club on the web, has chosen its next selection! Members will be reading and discussing THE CLUB DUMAS by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Roman Polanski’s film THE NINTH GATE, in which Johnny Depp plays the occult-obsessed bookseller Dean Corso, is based on THE CLUB DUMAS. ONBC moderators Liz and DeppintheHeartofTexas will begin posting tidbits of background information on THE CLUB DUMAS today, and the discussion will follow on August 4, 2008. Please stop by the ONBC forum for what is sure to be a fascinating discussion! –Part-Time Poet

It’s not quite the Black Pearl, but that is the erstwhile Captain Jack Sparrow taking to the water in a paparazzi photo snapped of Johnny Depp on July 3, 2008. Johnny is wearing his familiar blue sunglasses and ripped jeans, and a white long-sleeved shirt emblazoned with the name of his yacht, the Vajoliroja. However, he is not aboard the Vajoliroja in this photo; it’s a much smaller boat . . . er, ship. The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for bringing us the news and bonnie and AnaMaria for sharing the picture. To see a full-length view of Johnny, CLICK HERE. –Part-Time Poet

Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney’s documentary GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON opens in selected U.S. cities today. The Good Doctor’s good friend, Johnny Depp, narrates the film and reads passages from Hunter’s writing. Gibney sought JD to handle the narration because of his close connection to Hunter: “Johnny had gone and lived with him in his house, and shadowed him when he was preparing to play Hunter in the FEAR AND LOATHING film,” Gibney told a reporter. “He really was, and still is, psychically connected to him.” The director lured Johnny into the project by showing him a rough cut of the film: “He heard it with my voice [doing the narration]. So he probably took pity on us,” Gibney said, with wry humor. “You know: ‘You can’t have that.'”

Gibney’s film focuses on Hunter’s work–his innovative style of journalism and his acute political observations. “He (Thompson) found invasive ways to get at the truth, in ways that were more unpredictable,” Gibney told an interviewer from Reuters. While the director would not classify himself as “an obsessive Thompson fan,” he had admired Hunter since first reading FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS in the 1970s. “What I didn’t see then was these larger grander themes about the character of America and the death of the American dream and all of that,” Gibney said.

Now GONZO brings those themes into perspective. “Thompson [. . .] was not just an original, he was also a patriot and a romantic,” writes movie critic David Carr in the New York Times. “Thompson [. . . ] changed the way that much of America thought about itself . . . .”

The Zone thanks Sleepy and Emma for articles about the Gibney film. You can read more about it on the News & Views forum and the Porch. –Part-Time Poet