Although there’s been nothing more than swirling rumours, it seems Johnny Depp may be involved in a new movie, with The Sun and Contact Music reporting that he’ll take a role in Skulduggery Pleasant, an adaptation of the popular Derek Landy fantasy novel series of the same name.
While there was a lot of initial scepticism at this news, largely because Depp is so in demand his schedule is pretty much full through 2013 (assuming Disney do decide to make two more back-to-back Pirates movies in 2012), but it’s since emerged that the title character in Skulduggery Pleasant is likely to be completely CG in a live action environment, as he’s an undead skeleton wizard/detective. So Depp would only need to provide the voice, which is a much easier commitment.
Warner Bros is behind the movie, with Landy writing the screenplay himself, based on his book The Faceless Ones (one of nine Skulduggery Pleasant novels). And if you’re wondering how they expect audience to accept a film where the title character is a talking skeleton, it’s actually more Harry Potter-esque than that, following a 12-year-old girl called Stephanie, who becomes part of a magical world and the protege of the wizard/detective, Skulduggery Pleasant, as they try to solve bizarre murders and other crimes. It’s magic meets film noir.
The film is expected in cinemas in 2013, although whether Depp will provide the voice of the CG skeleton is yet to be confirmed.