Articles from January 2011



THE TOURIST to be released on region 1 DVD on March 22nd!

Mark your calendars–The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD on March 22, 2011 in the North American market–the perfect spring getaway for those who can’t afford tickets to Venice. Nominated for three Golden Globe awards, The Tourist is “a sexy action-adventure caper about a mysterious woman and an awkward American who become involved in an international web of intrigue, romance and danger in Venice,” reports Cindy Clark of USA Today. The film is scheduled for release on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on April 25, 2011.

According to USA Today, “[B]onus features on both the DVD and Blu-ray disc include an outtake reel, director’s commentary and two featurettes: ‘A Gala Affair’ and ‘Bringing Glamour Back.’ Blu-ray exclusive materials include three additional behind-the-scenes featurettes. The DVD will retail for $29, the Blu-ray Disc for $35, and a combo pack will sell for $39.” Those are list prices from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; expect discounts for pre-ordering and on the week of release.

The Zone thanks Gilbert’s Girl and Theresa for sharing the news. You can read more about The Tourist‘s DVD release on the Zone’s News & Views forum; the USA Today article is available HERE.

Johnny Depp in Hollywood on January 27th–new photos!

Johnny Depp was photographed on the street in Hollywood on Thursday, January 27th; he was wearing jeans, a white shirt layered over a striped shirt, dark blue sunglasses, and a familiar black Viper Room beanie. To see a larger version of the photo at left, CLICK HERE. You can see a photo of Johnny smiling HERE, and a photo of him walking down the street HERE. The Zone thanks Emma and Theresa for sharing the photos! Johnny was also photographed today in Los Angeles visiting an antique store; thanks to FANtasticJD for the news. It’s always a pleasure to see him out and about!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND receives three Academy Award nominations!

Congratulations to Tim Burton and the talented cast and crew of Alice in Wonderland, which today received Academy Award nominations in the categories of Art Direction, Costume Design (Colleen Atwood), and Visual Effects. Well done! Other nominees in Art Direction include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, Inception,The King’s Speech, and True Grit. For Costume Design, the other nominees are I Am Love, The King’s Speech, The Tempest, and True Grit; and for Visual Effects, the other nominees are Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Hereafter, Inception, and Iron Man 2. The Zone thanks Gilbert’s Girl and Theresa for sharing the news; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

THE TOURIST reaches $205 million in worldwide box office!

Congratulations to Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, and the cast and crew of The Tourist, which has just crossed the $200 million mark in worldwide box office! As of this weekend, The Tourist had earned $65.9 million at North American movie theaters, and a stunning $139.5 million overseas, despite the fact that the film has yet to open in Japan, always a major market for Depp films. That gives The Tourist a worldwide gross of $205.4 million–and that’s no joke.

Johnny recently told Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly that he “wouldn’t change a thing” about The Tourist; “even if he could go back in time to the start of the movie’s production, he wouldn’t alter the film one jot,” Collis writes. “I’d do it exactly the same,” Johnny told him. “I wanted to work with Angelina, and I felt like I had a good handle on the character. It was not a character that I’d really played before.” As for the film’s commercial success, Johnny said, “I don’t know the main ingredient of success at the box office. I just feel that’s not something I can do anything about.” No worries; The Tourist is doing just fine.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the latest box office figures and the Entertainment Weekly story; you can read more about both on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Latest casting rumor: Disney pursues Johnny Depp to take over the leading role in OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL?

“Robert Downey Jr. has fallen out of Oz, the Great and Powerful, Disney’s prequel-ish take on The Wizard of Oz tale, and the studio is in discussions with Johnny Depp to step into the great wizard’s robe.” That report comes from Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter, a credible source; there has been no confirmation of the discussions from Johnny’s side, but given his longstanding relationship with Disney and his suitability for the role, it seems safe to believe the two sides are talking. The major stumbling block for Oz, assuming the script passes muster, would appear to be Johnny’s always-crowded schedule. He is due to begin shooting Dark Shadows for Tim Burton at Warner Bros. this spring, and he is committed to playing Tonto in the Jerry Bruckheimer/Gore Verbinski Lone Ranger for Disney. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oz, the Great and Powerful is “a high priority” for Disney, and the studio “hopes to start production in the second half of the year,” with Sam Raimi directing.

“Disney clearly would love for Depp to do both,” says The Hollywood Reporter — of course! — “but if he commits to Oz, that pushes Ranger back. Can the other talent involved in Ranger wait that long?” A good question; and Johnny has long-standing relationships with Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski that go back to their first Pirates film. So this will take some scheduling magic; we’ll have to wait and see what the wizards at Disney can do.

For those who are curious about the plot of Oz, the Great and Powerful, the events happen before Dorothy Gale ever travels over the rainbow. Oz is a magician; he’s described as “a young illusionist with a grandiose attitude” who is fleeing a traveling circus in a hot air balloon when he gets swept up by a tornado and carried to the land of Oz, which is run by a couple of witches.

The picture above shows Johnny Depp during Sunday’s Golden Globes; he is in conversation with Robert Downey Jr., who was cast as Oz and has just departed the project. To see a larger version which shows the actors together, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for the picture and Theresa for sharing the news.

Johnny Depp visits JACK AND JILL movie set in Los Angeles–new photos!

Johnny Depp, accompanied by security chief Jerry Judge, was photographed in Los Angeles on Tuesday as he visited the set of the film Jack and Jill, which stars Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, and Johnny’s Donnie Brasco co-star Al Pacino. Johnny is rumored to be making a brief cameo appearance in the comedy, although this is not confirmed — no doubt we’ll get plenty of tweets from the set if it happens. This one popped up on Twitter yesterday: “great times @ Jack & Jill sat a couple of ft away from Al Pacino & Johnny Depp & got to stare at JD during lunch.” Nice work if you can get it!

To see a larger version of the photo of Johnny, CLICK HERE, and to see other photos of Johnny with Jerry at the Jack and Jill set, CLICK HERE and HERE. The Zone thanks Sleepy and AnaMaria for sharing the news!

Johnny Depp at the Golden Globes Awards–new photos!

Johnny Depp attended the 68th annual Golden Globes Awards on Sunday night, much to the delight of his fans, photographers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and NBC, which aired the awards. Johnny was nominated twice this year as Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, for his performances in Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist, but the HFPA awarded the Globe to Paul Giamatti in the little-seen Barney’s Version. During the ceremony, cameras caught Johnny exchanging greetings with Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, and Robert Downey, Jr., and applauding heartily when former co-star Al Pacino (Donnie Brasco) won a Globe for the HBO film You Don’t Know Jack. Johnny was accompanied by his sister Christi Dembrowski, president of Infinitum Nihil; Vanessa Paradis is currently on a concert tour in France.

To see a larger version of the portrait of Johnny above, CLICK HERE, and to see a full-length view of him walking the red carpet in his Ralph Lauren Gold Label tuxedo, CLICK HERE. Some of our favorite photos of the night show Johnny arriving and greeting the fans in the stands; you can see him arriving and acknowledging the cheers HERE and HERE, and visiting with fans in the bleachers HERE. Johnny is accompanied by security chief Jerry Judge.

The Zone thanks In-too-Depp, AnaMaria, Theresa, and JayGrl for sharing photos; you can read Zoner’s reactions to the Golden Globes on the Pit Discussion forum.

BREAKING NEWS–Johnny Depp arrives at the Golden Globe Awards!

That’s a very dapper Johnny Depp arriving on the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles this evening to attend the 68th annual Golden Globes Awards. Johnny received two nominations as Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical, for his performances as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, and Frank Tupelo in The Tourist. To see a larger view of the photo, CLICK HERE.

The Golden Globes award ceremony is currently airing on NBC. You can follow a lively discussion of the awards as they are presented on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Johnny Depp, as Captain Jack Sparrow, on cover of new ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY!

Johnny Depp, in full Captain Jack Sparrow regalia and holding a silver goblet, graces the cover of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly for their “2011 Preview . . . Your Guide to 2011’s Biggest Movies, TV, Music, and Books!” Clearly the EW editors see Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides as the biggest coming attraction, and we don’t disagree. To see a larger version of the cover–issue date January 21, 2011–CLICK HERE.

In the preview article, EW looks at the sometimes-difficult process which brought On Stranger Tides into being, including the unexpected departure of then-Disney chairman Dick Cook and the concerns Johnny felt regarding the Pirates 4 script. “Things got very mathematical, very subplotty, on the last movie because there were a lot of things that needed to be resolved with the characters,” Johnny tells EW. “I wanted to make a film that was more like the first one, that was more character-driven.”

EW reports, “To help whip the yarn into shape, Depp attended a series of meetings in L.A. with the core Pirates team, including director Rob Marshall, who stepped in after Gore Verbinski left the series. ‘Johnny was instrumental in the design of the story,’ says [screenwriter Terry] Rossio. ‘I think an arbitration committee might give him a “story by” credit if he was willing to submit it.'”

The Zone thanks Theresa for breaking the news. You can read more about the Entertainment Weekly article and On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides will be released on May 20, 2011.

Johnny Depp voted “Favorite Movie Star” in Harris Poll–congratulations!

Congratulations to Johnny Depp, who was voted America’s favorite movie star in the annual Harris Poll! Johnny first appeared in the poll, which has been conducted annually since 1994, in 2003, the year of the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. JD placed tenth that year, and has been named among the top ten favorite movie stars every year since, twice ranking as high as #2–in 2005 and 2009. But 2010 marks the first time he has topped the vote-getters. What a wonderful honor!

Here is the “favorite movie star” class of 2010, in order: (1) Johnny Depp; (2) Denzel Washington; (3) John Wayne; (4) Harrison Ford; (5) Angelina Jolie; (6–a three-way tie) Tom Hanks, Julie Roberts, and George Clooney; (9) Clint Eastwood; (10) Sandra Bullock. Only John Wayne has appeared on the list every year since the poll began in 1994.

The photo above shows Johnny Depp on stage at the Nokia Theater accepting his 2011 People’s Choice Award as Favorite Movie Actor; to see a larger version, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD and Theresa for sharing the news; you can read more about the Harris Poll, including interesting details about the demographics of the poll respondents, on the Zone’s Porch General Discussion forum.

Captain Jack Sparrow on cover of February EMPIRE; new interview with Johnny Depp!

Captain Jack Sparrow, pistol in hand, graces the cover of the February 2011 issue of Empire (U.K.) — who better to steal the spotlight for their “Essential 2011 Preview?” Journalist Ian Nathan visited the set of Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides, which, he says, “promises a return to the wacky joys of the original.” Johnny Depp confirms Nathan’s assessment: “The thing with Pirates 4, I felt like we owed it to people . . . you know? Pirates 2 and 3 became quite . . . sub-plotty. The mathematics of it. All these people went to see them two or three times just to figure out what was happening. This one is a little closer in tone to the first,” Johnny promises. “More character-driven . . . more subject-driven. It has a freshness. Less mathematics.”

On Stranger Tides features Ian McShane as the villainous pirate Blackbeard — “He’s a force, man,” Johnny says — and Penelope Cruz as Angelica, a dangerous woman from Captain Jack’s past. “There’s a chemistry there,” Johnny says. “They’re like a divorced couple who hate each other and at the same time love one another. It’s a very strange relationship. A lot of fun.” Still, Nathan correctly observes that it is Captain Jack Sparrow, “the unreliable James Bond of the Spanish Main,” whom we want to see. “We’re not returning for the new stuff, but the old. Jack must always be Jack.”

The Zone thanks Emma for breaking the news and In-too-Depp for sharing scans of the Empire article. To see the Empire cover, CLICK HERE, and to see a photo of Captain Jack in action in On Stranger Tides, CLICK HERE.

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

Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and Helena Bonham Carter make BAFTA longlist; ALICE IN WONDERLAND receives 12 nominations

Congratulations to Tim Burton and the cast and crew of Alice in Wonderland, which made the longlist for the 2011 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) in 12 separate categories, including Director — Tim Burton; Leading Actor — Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter; and Supporting Actress — Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “The longlist is the result of a first round of voting by Academy members that places the top 15 films in each category. A second round of voting will cut the number of films to five in each category. Following a third vote, the winners will be announced on Feb. 13 at the Orange British Academy Film Awards.”

In addition to Director, Leading Actor, and Suporting Actress, Alice in Wonderland received BAFTA nods for Adapted Screenplay; Hair/Make Up; Special Visual Effects; Sound; Editing; Costume Design; Production Design; Cinematography; and Original Music. Well done!

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for sharing the news. You can read more about the BAFTA nominations for Alice in Wonderland on the Zone’s News & Views forum. You can find the Hollywood Reporter article, which contains the full BAFTA longlist with all nominations, HERE.

BREAKING NEWS–Johnny Depp wins People’s Choice Award! New photos!

Johnny Depp delighted the crowd at the People’s Choice Awards tonight by arriving in person to accept his award as Favorite Movie Actor. The photo at left shows him onstage at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles; to see a larger version, CLICK HERE. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, herself a winner for Favorite Country Artist, presented the award to Johnny, who received a thunderous standing ovation punctuated by screams when he walked on stage. To see a photo of Johnny accepting his award, CLICK HERE. “Bless you, thank you, thank you so much,” Johnny said, as he accepted the crystal award. Then he turned to acknowledge Ms. Swift, who was modestly standing off to the side. Calling her name, Johnny said, “My daughter said if I didn’t say Hi to you, I’d be in big trouble, so Hi from my daughter!”

Addressing the audience, Johnny said, “Thank you so much for this. This is yet again a stupefying honor because it comes from the people . . . the people who keep us all here. And if it wasn’t for you, none of us would be here. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Bless you, thank you, and be well.”

To see photos of Johnny onstage during the ceremony, CLICK HERE and HERE, and HERE. To see a photo of Johnny with Queen Latifah, the host of the People’s Choice Awards, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks Theresa and Belis for sharing pictures and Minamartindegro for sharing a video of Johnny’s speech. If you missed the show, you can find a video clip of Johnny’s acceptance speech at E!Online HERE.

Congratulations, Johnny!

THE TOURIST reaches $120 million in worldwide box office

Surprise! Reports of The Tourist’s box-office demise appear to be somewhat premature. While the romantic thriller starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie didn’t explode out of the starting gate on its opening weekend, it has now compiled $55 million at the U.S. box office and $65 million overseas, for a total of $120 million worldwide. While the Los Angeles Times brackets the film with Reese Witherspoon’s How Do You Know and Jack Black’s Gulliver’s Travels as December “box-office misses,” it should be noted that those films have grossed only $25 million and $40 million respectively; The Tourist looks like a triumph by comparison. Even the Times grudgingly admits that Sony, the film’s distributor, “remains optimistic about the film’s overall performance.” Said Sony Vice Chairman Jeff Blake, “I don’t think it’s in terrible shape — it’s doing really well overseas.” Joal Ryan of E!Online notes that The Tourist, with its three Golden Globe nominations, “could reach $200 million worldwide” by the end of its run.

The Zone thanks Moviemom and FANtasticJD for box office reports; you can read more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum. The Los Angeles Times article is available HERE and the E!Online story HERE.

Happy New Year from the Johnny Depp Zone!

Welcome to 2011 to Zoners everywhere! The new year promises to bring wonderful moments to those who follow Johnny Depp’s career; we’re looking forward to the filming of Dark Shadows, with Tim Burton at the helm, and the release of Gore Verbinski’s Rango in March and Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides in May! And that’s just what the first half of 2011 has waiting in the wings. . . .

Regarding Rango, which will be the next Johnny Depp film to reach theaters, CinemaBlend wrote, “Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp team up for [. . .] an irreverent and surreal-looking animated Western about a chameleon figuring out who he is. Instead of reading their lines into a microphone the actors acted out the entire movie on a soundstage, with props and everything, adding an extra wrinkle of interest to a movie that already looks like way more than your average animated kid’s movie.”

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for sharing the CinemaBlend comment; you can read more on the Zone’s Porch General Discussion forum. The full CinemaBlend 2011 Film Preview is available HERE. Many thanks to Moonbeam for designing the beautiful 2011 New Year artwork.