Kevin Smith has always been known to attract an interesting cast of notables in his films. Will Ferrell, Mark Hamill, Michael Parks, George Carlin, and Carrie Fisher are all among the stars that Smith has directed, and if a Justin Long interview with a Long Island outlet is any indication, the following cryptic tweet from Smith himself was confirmation that Johnny Depp (Transcendence) is on board for his latest film (of the moment), Tusk.
The following is the tweet, uncovered by The Wrap, that sparked curiosity from Smith's Twitter feed, from back in last September:
All of that secrecy was undone by Justin Long being interviewed by a bunch of kids in Long Island. He dropped the bomb when talking about how he was starring in the film about the definitely family un-friendly story of a man obsessed with walruses to the point where he lures people into wearing a walrus suit... right before he kills them. The film's idea grew out of an episode of Mr. Smith's Smodcast, with his sights originally on Quentin Tarantino to play the role of Guy Lapointe, a French-Canadian detective assigned to the case of this peculiar murderer.
Depp will apparently be playing the role that Tarantino turned down, which seems like a natural fit for him as he has not only lived in France for a good, long period of time, but it also gives him a chance to adopt another accent into his repertoire. If this news is double confirmed to be true, this could actually be an interesting turn of events for Smith and Depp alike. For Smith, this would only further bolster the cast list he's maintained over his storied career, and for Depp it could be a chance to do something different and not mainstream again. The film also co-stars Michael Parks (Red State) as said murdering madman.
Johnny Depp outside of the mainstream has always been a fun proposition, and if you need a refresher on why that is, it's highly suggested you watch Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. For the uninitiated, or those lacking a proper memory of the film, a scene is embedded below. Depp's next starring role will be in Transcendence, opening on April 18th, and Tusk is expected in theaters at some point this fall. So don't be surprised if you see a couple more walruses than usual at your local Halloween party.
