Johnny Depp: From Pirate to Vampire
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Warner Brothers
His choice to play less-than-good guys lately is one of the factors that keeps Johnny Depp on the top of his game. Every great actor has to play a villain occasionally, because they are more fun and more interesting, plus they often keep a falling actor afloat for a little longer (see John Travolta, Kevin Spacey). Before Depp went anti-hero in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (not that either film was the first time), his star-power in Hollywood was starting to fade. The only thing is, one can't be creepy and kinda evil all the time, as he's been since then, except for in Finding Neverland. Plus, once going completely over to the dark side, it isn't always a given that it'll be easy to come back to playing the leading man part.
To play a vampiristic leader in the film I Am Legend, as he's rumored to do, will add another eccentric role to his resume, but will it make him even badder than we can tolerate? At least the latest version of Richard Matheson's novel should be somewhat comedic with Will "Aww Hell No" Smith in the lead, so it isn't like Depp will be playing too much for fright. Expect another quirky, campy character, who just happens to be the head of a blood-sucking population. Anyway, if there is one actor out there who audiences never accept as immoral as his characters, it is Depp. No matter how depraved he can be on screen, he continues to win the hearts of moviegoers, and audiences believe him to be a sweetheart in real life. I wonder what he'd have to do to make us believe he was really, really evil.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-01-2006 @ 6:35AM
Scott Weinberg said...
My excite-0-meter has officially gone up for this project. Much as I love Matheson, I don't think much of Will Smith's action stuff. Depp balances the equation quite nicely.
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7-01-2006 @ 4:31PM
Wall said...
Where you found rumors that Depp will play this role? Of course I hope so, but I don't think they let him play it
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7-01-2006 @ 11:28PM
Wattermelon Gumdrops said...
I think this will be a grand role for him. I hope he dose decided to do it. It will be more fun to watch knowing he is in it.
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7-02-2006 @ 9:34AM
add said...
ok, i know someone who thinks Johnny Depp is so hot, but he is so not. If he wants to be he has a lot of work to do.
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7-02-2006 @ 9:37AM
Tom said...
I was very interested in this film until I read that Will "Aw Hell No" Smith will be the lead. We're in for another Omega Man, folks, even with Depp as the villain.
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7-02-2006 @ 10:50AM
GhodtDoggy said...
Isn't this a remake of The Omega Man? I didn't think the originals were a bunch of blood-sucking vampires. Post is very misleading.
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7-02-2006 @ 11:38AM
Christopher Campbell said...
I apologize for being misleading, GhodtDoggy. The thing is, I assumed the novel has the infected acting like vampires, but maybe that is new to this version. And I haven't seen either of the previous two adaptations.
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7-02-2006 @ 12:49PM
J. Singleton said...
What in this man's work makes you think he is just staying "afloat" with his choices of characters? If you are familiar with his work, you should realize he is still ascending and has yet to reach his peak. He has always been a character actor and one of the best.
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7-02-2006 @ 12:52PM
Razib said...
Jack Sparrow was not really a villain in that sense (I just saw Part I of PoK). He was really wierd and funny. I really liked the way depp played the character. I enjoyed the movie very much. I also liked his Finding Neverland. Is it the real story of the writer of Peter Pan?
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7-02-2006 @ 10:31PM
Ju said...
Oh God! My boyfriend is a real big fan of vampire movies and I'm a big fan of Johnny Depp...wow!!! We really can't wait for this encounter!
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7-03-2006 @ 7:27AM
Tom said...
Richard Matheson's novel I AM LEGEND centers on vampires taking over Planet Earth. The movie THE OMEGA MAN changed it so that the bad guys are just mutants who can't stand daylight, or something. This seems to be based a little more on the novel, although with Will Smith attached it seems doubtful that they'll keep Matheson's very downbeat ending, and will probably go with a more "audience friendly" action movie vibe, complete with happy ending -- Will with a gun in one hand and a girl in the other.
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7-06-2006 @ 3:02PM
The Jeremy said...
Gawd, people, do some research.
The book *I Am Legend* has been adapted to the screen officially twice already. First with Vincent Price in *The Last Man on Earth* (script penned by Matheson), and then with Charlton Heston in *The Omega Man*. While *Last Man* is obviously more faithful, *The Omega Man* is the more entertaining to watch of the two, and the film remembered by the (genre) public at large. Arguably, *Night of the Living Dead* is a rip-off of the book, which Matheson thinks it is and Romero has basically admitted to.
Warners had tried to get this going for years and its almost been in a production hell as long as Superman was. Hopefully, they won't commit the same mistakes as they did with "rushing" *Superman Returns* to the screen...ie bad casting and weak scripting. But of course, if they are using the screenplays written in the 90s as the basis for this outing, then they are committing the same mistakes. While Depp is good, miscasting Will Smith again is not going to do well. Warners should have learned this from his disappointing outings in *The Wild Wild West*, *I, Robot* and *MIB 2*. I also think its a mistake to make the Ben Cortman character the central brainiac villain in charge of the vampires when he in no way, shape, or form resembles that in the original book. Shifting the story to New York is also lame.
Casting-wise, this is still a letdown considering back in 1998, the protagonist role of Robert Neville was bouncing around between Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Kurt Russell and now we are saddled with Will Smith. Back in 1998, the directorial duties were up for grabs first with Sir Ridley Scott and then Rob Bowman.
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7-06-2006 @ 3:24PM
Christopher Campbell said...
What research was I needing to do, The Jeremy? I wasn't reporting on the announcement of the film, only the rumor of Depp's casting.
Also, I don't think studios are concerned with Smith's performance with I Robot or MIB2, as both did pretty well.
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