Articles from June 2010



Here’s the new RANGO trailer–and you actually see and hear Rango in this one!

Paramount Pictures has released a new two-minute trailer for Gore Verbinski’s animated film Rango–a witty treat that shows key characters in action, including Johnny Depp’s Rango, whom Verbinski describes as “a chameleon with an identity crisis [. . . who] fancies himself a hero and is thrust into a crazy set of circumstances where he becomes one.” You can see the trailer — an evocative, highly original hybrid of Sergio Leone’s westerns and Chuck Jones’s Looney Tunes — here:

The Zone thanks Theresa for sharing the video. Rango’s release date has been moved up to March 4, 2011 — and we’re counting the days!

Johnny Depp ranked #9 on the Forbes Celebrity 100

Johnny Depp ranked #9 on this year’s Forbes Celebrity 100, the magazine’s listing of the world’s most powerful celebrities, and tops their list of the most powerful actors. “Depp zooms close to the top of our list this year thanks to his work as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s 3-D update of Alice in Wonderland. The Disney film has grossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, making Depp the only actor to headline two $1 billion films,” notes Forbes. One caveat about this list: Forbes has a formula for determining “power” that includes money earned from projects and also mentions on television, radio, Internet, and print media, so their rankings reward notoriety as well as hard work. This year’s top ten “most powerful” celebrities are Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce Knowles, James Cameron, Lady Gaga, Tiger Woods, Britney Spears, U2, Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp, and Madonna.

The Zone thanks Diana J. for sharing the news; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

First images of Johnny Depp as Gore Verbinski’s RANGO

We’ve waited a long time to see images of Johnny Depp as the title character in Gore Verbinski’s first animated film, Rango, but the wait is finally over! A poster showing the Rango character was released today: our image only shows the chameleon from the neck up, so be sure to CLICK HERE to see Rango in all his glory–you wouldn’t want to miss that Hawaiian shirt! “This ‘chameleon with an identity crisis’ becomes a hero in a small Western town,” says USA Today, which features the poster in their Monday Life section. According to RopeofSilicon.com, a new trailer for Rango will be released tomorrow, June 29th. We’ll be watching!

Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net has already seen a bit of Rango and gives it an enthusiastic thumbs up: “Earlier today I visited Verbinski’s offices in Burbank for a special introduction to Rango. We got to see a few early scenes from the movie and a teaser trailer (which hits tomorrow) and it looks really, really good,” Billington reports. “Rango is just one of many funky characters you’ll meet in this fun animated western.”

The Zone thanks Marijose, AnaMaria, and Theresa for breaking the news; you can read much more about Rango on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Johnny Depp in Hawaii–new photo!

Aloha, Johnny! Johnny Depp was photographed in Hawaii on Sunday during a break from filming the fourth installment of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean series, On Stranger Tides. He was celebrating the Father’s Day holiday with his children, Lily-Rose and Jack. JD was en route to a helicopter when this picture was taken; to see a larger version, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks Theresa, Emma, and FANtasticJD for sharing photos; it’s always great to see Johnny.

Three more years for Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil and Graham King’s GK Films partnership

Great news from the business side of the film industry today — GK Films and Infinitum Nihil have opted to continue their professional relationship, signing another 3-year deal (the first was signed in 2004). Reports Mike Fleming of Deadline.com, “GK Films partners Graham King and Tim Headington have re-cemented one of GK Films’ most important relationships, re-upping Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil production shingle for another three years. Under the new deal, GK Films will fully finance and co-produce film and TV projects hatched by Depp and Infinitum Nihil president Christi Dembrowski.”

Bruce Robinson’s The Rum Diary, Gore Verbinski’s animated film Rango, and Florian Henckel von Donnersmark’s just-concluded The Tourist were all produced by GK Films (thank you, Mr. King and Mr. Headington!) and are due in theaters by spring 2011. Infinitum Nihil’s second film to go before the camera, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is currently filming in 3D with the legendary Martin Scorsese directing. GK Films will also produce Dark Shadows with Infinitum Nihil for Warner Bros., with Tim Burton directing and Johnny Depp starring as the vampire Barnabas Collins. That’s a slate to be proud of.

The Zone thanks Theresa for sharing the news; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

The Johnny Depp Zone’s 2010 Birthday Project raises $5,800 for Save the Children!

The Johnny Depp Zone is delighted to announce that our 2010 Birthday Project to benefit Save the Children’s Haiti Emergency Relief for Children raised a grand total of $5,800.00! What a wonderful outpouring of love and kindness — donations flowed in to the Birthday Project from all over the world.

We send sincere thanks to all the donors who contributed to our birthday gift for Johnny Depp; your generosity is truly inspiring. Thank you all for bringing this year’s Birthday Project to such a joyous conclusion, and for helping the children of Haiti!

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4: ON STRANGER TIDES begins shooting in Hawaii!

Captain Jack Sparrow’s compass must be pointing toward Hawaii, because that’s where shooting for the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean adventure, On Stranger Tides, is now underway! There is confirmation that shooting has begun from none other than producer Jerry Bruckheimer himself — and sources don’t get any more solid than that. Mr. Bruckheimer is kindly sending out tweets about the film’s progress and sharing some personal photographs from the location: to see a photo of Jerry Bruckheimer’s and Johnny Depp’s director chairs sitting side-by-side on a white sand beach, CLICK HERE.

You can follow Mr. Bruckheimer’s updates on the Pirates 4 filmmaking and see his photos by visiting the Official Jerry Bruckheimer Facebook Fanpage HERE. On Twitter, it’s Official Jerry Bruckheimer Verified Personal Twitter HERE and Official Jerry Bruckheimer Films Twitter HERE. Many thanks to Emma for sharing the news and to Tim Carr for his email — it’s great to be able to follow along as On Stranger Tides takes shape.

We’d like to send special thanks to Mr. Bruckheimer for sharing the news and his personal photographs. Best wishes to all the cast and crew of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides for a safe and joyous shoot, and thanks for inviting us on the voyage!

More casting news for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

It’s official — fan favorite and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush has signed to reprise his role as Captain Hector Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, reports Marc Graser of Variety. That’s great news! Rush joins Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Kevin McNally as Mr. Gibbs, and new cast members Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Stephen Graham, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, and Sam Claflin in the next POTC adventure.

Another new face joining the cast of On Stranger Tides is Australian supermodel Gemma Ward, who will appear in a small speaking role as a mermaid. An Australian newspaper, the Courier Mail, reports that Ms. Ward will film her scenes in August. Director Rob Marshall is currently filming On Stranger Tides on Kauai; the movie is due in theaters, in 3D, on May 20, 2011.

The Zone thanks Theresa and Emma for sharing the news; you can read much more about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Teaser trailer for Gore Verbinski’s RANGO, starring Johnny Depp, is released!

The first trailer for Gore Verbinski’s animated feature Rango has been released, but if you were hoping for a glimpse of Johnny Depp’s title character, Isla Fisher’s spunky lizard, or Bill Nighy’s rattlesnake villain, you’ll have to wait a while longer. This trailer is indeed a “teaser,” as it reveals almost nothing about the movie except its desert location–not even the names of the impressive vocal cast. But it does make a vivid impression, and it certainly stands out from the crowd. You can see the Rango trailer on Apple, in high definition HERE or on You Tube, HERE.

The official Rango website is now open; visit it HERE. Rango is due to arrive in movie theaters in North America on March 18, 2011.

The Zone thanks Theresa for breaking the news; you can read more about Rango on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

First official photo from THE TOURIST released!

The first official photo released to publicize Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s romantic thriller The Tourist makes the most of its assets — the spectacular beauty of Venice and the glamor and allure of its stars, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Yes, Ms. Jolie is in the picture, too: to see the entire image, CLICK HERE. The Tourist, which wrapped filming in Venice in mid-May, follows an American traveler (Johnny Depp) who goes to Europe to mend his broken heart; when he meets the mysterious Elise (Angelina Jolie), he gets swept up in intrigue and (of course) danger. The film also stars Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton, and Paul Bettany. The Zone thanks Emma and AnaMaria for sharing the photo; you can read much more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Happy Birthday to Johnny Depp!

Today is Johnny Depp’s birthday, and we would like to send our heartfelt best wishes to Johnny. We hope he enjoys a wonderful birthday celebration with family and friends, and that the year to come, with the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and the release of The Rum Diary, brings him great joy and creative fulfillment. Above all, we would like to thank him for letting us take this journey with him, and for being a constant source of inspiration, entertainment, and delight, both onscreen and off.

To celebrate Johnny’s birthday, People.com has a constantly-morphing video with pictures of Johnny from 1990 through 2010; the video takes a while to load, but when it does, it’s a fun trip down memory lane. You can see it HERE. Many thanks to mytreasure for sharing it.

May the happiness Johnny Depp has given to all of us be returned to him in abundance. Moonbeam’s birthday card speaks for Zoners all over the world: Happy Birthday, Johnny!

Johnny Depp in Los Angeles June 7th–new photos!

Where’s Johnny Depp? He was photographed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai on June 2nd –a lucky lady shared her photo with JD on Facebook, see link HERE, but you need to log into Facebook to view the photo; however, Johnny was back in Los Angeles on June 7th, where he was photographed as he left the Sunset Tower. To see a larger version of the profile shot of Johnny, CLICK HERE, and to see a different photo of Johnny leaving the Sunset Tower, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the Kauai photo, and Evochka for the photos from Los Angeles.

Johnny Depp Zone Birthday Project donations top $4,000!

As the Johnny Depp Zone’s 2010 Birthday Project enters its final week, we’re thrilled to report that this year’s donations, to benefit Save the Children’s Haiti Emergency Relief for Children, have topped $4,000! That’s fantastic! We would like to thank everyone who has donated to the Birthday Project this year; your generosity and kindness is truly heartwarming. The children of Haiti, whose homeland was devastated by a terrible earthquake in January, have been receiving food, clean water, medical care, and classroom tents and supplies from Save the Children; the Zone is proud to be part of this effort.

Giving to the Birthday Project is easy. The Zone has a dedicated Paypal account for contributions to the 2010 Birthday Project; if you would like to join in our gift, you can make a donation by visiting our 2010 Birthday Project Forum and scrolling down to the Paypal button. If you would like to donate by check to Save the Children, directions are directly below the Paypal button on the announcement post.

You still have time to join us in saying “Happy Birthday” and “Thank You” to Johnny Depp -–and we think there’s no better way to do that than by helping a child in need, in Johnny’s name. We will be accepting donations to the Birthday Project through Johnny’s birthday on Wednesday, June 9th, and we’d love to have you be a part of the celebration.

Poster art for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4: ON STRANGER TIDES!

As Captain Jack Sparrow’s fourth adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides prepares to shoot in Hawaii, we are getting a glimpse of some of the early poster art for the film. To see a larger version of the teal poster featuring Captain Jack, CLICK HERE, and to see a different golden poster featuring ships at sea, CLICK HERE. Many thanks to Emma for locating these and to producer Jerry Bruckheimer for sharing his photos and news updates on Facebook and Twitter. We appreciate the news!

You can read much more about Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Announcing three additions to the Zone’s Interview Archive!

We’ve added three vintage articles to the Zone’s Johnny Depp Interview Archive. These all reach far back into Johnny Depp’s career, and provide an interesting perspective on the man today.

January 10, 1990 – Sun Sentinel, by Amy Wilson— This article features a look at the late days of 21 Jump Street when Johnny was on the brink of becoming, not just a working actor, but a movie star.

December 8, 1993 – Knight Ridder, by Judy Gerstel — This interview during the promotion for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape finds Johnny pondering turning 30.

April 6, 1995 – Orange County Register, by Barry Koltnow — Dating from the promotion for Don Juan de Marco, Koltnow’s article has the charming details of how Johnny Depp lobbied for Marlon Brando to be cast in the film. It will make you want to watch Don Juan de Marco again.

Thanks to Theresa and FANtasticJD for the articles, and to Theresa for posting them to the archives. You can find the new additions HERE. Just click the links on the bottom of the page and enjoy!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD today!

Deppheads and Burtonites can kick off June by bringing home the billion-dollar box office bonanza Alice in Wonderland on Blu-Ray or DVD! The fantasy adventure starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Mia Wasikowska as Alice, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, is available in three different packages, all priced differently (of course): the deluxe Disney 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, which includes all 3 formats (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy); or the 1-Disc Blu-ray and 1-Disc DVD versions.

Movie lovers with Blu-Ray players will find nine bonus features on the Blu-Ray version, including, according to Disney, “the making of the Futterwacken Dance, a look inside the world of the Mad Hatter and Johnny Depp’s transformation, Tim Burton’s vision for the movie and its characters, the visual effects of growing and shrinking of Alice, costume designs, music, stunts and more.”

Three extras are included with the standard DVD: a featurette called “Finding Alice,” a feature on The Mad Hatter, and a behind-the-scenes feature “on the different technologies used to create some of the most beloved characters in the film — Stayne, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Bandersnatch, and the Red Queen.” All of these are included on the Blu-Ray versions.

The single-disc DVD is listed at $29.99, the single-disc Blu-Ray at $39.99, and the Blu-Ray combo-pack at $44.99, but good discounts are available during the first week of release at all major retailers. The Zone thanks Theresa and Emma for sharing the news; you can read more about the Alice in Wonderland DVD release on the Zone’s News & Views forum.