Earlier this month it appeared that Johnny Depp was stuck in a quandary. The A-list star signed on to play legendary gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in Barry Levinson's Black Mass, but the deal left the movie world wondering if it would mean that he would no longer be able to star in the sci-fi thriller Transcendence from first time director and Christopher Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister. Today the answer has been revealed: he's doing both!
Deadline has received a press release outlining Depp's upcoming filming schedule, and it appears that the star will first begin working with Pfister in April, and then once that production has ended he will move over to Levinson's project.
As of now, official plot details for Transcendence don't actually exist, but it has been said that the story will center around a group of scientists studying the theory of the technological singularity and the creation of a computer that can think for itself. The script was written by newcomer Jack Paglen and actresses including Emily Blunt, Rebecca Hall, and Rooney Mara have been rumored for roles as well.
Black Mass, meanwhile, is very much based in the real world and tell the true story of how Bulger dominated the crime scene in Boston during the 80s. Jez Butterworth, whose credits include the Doug Liman-directed 2010 thriller Fair Game, is currently writing a new draft of the screenplay, which was originally adapted by Mark Mallouk from the book "Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob" by Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill.
Neither film currently has a release date.
