Johnny Depp set to play mob boss, Whitey Bulger. Barry Levinson will direct

[Rev]

Levinson's busy with the biopics lately with producing the Phil Spector TV film coming out next month (Pacino starring in it), and he's also doing the John Gotti Jr. movie next year.

Johnny Depp To Play Mobster Whitey Bulger

Johnny Depp will play the notorious gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger in the film Black Mass, which starts shooting in May.

The film recounts the story of the godfather of Boston's underworld who became an FBI informant to get rid of a gangster rival but was eventually arrested in 2011.

Adapted from a book by two Boston Globe journalists, Black Mass will be directed by Barry Levinson, who won an Oscar for best director in 1988 for Rain Man.

The role is a complete contrast for Pirates Of The Caribbean star Depp, 49, who also plays Tonto in The Lone Ranger, a Disney film scheduled for release in the summer.

The Lone Ranger, played by Armie Hammer, was a legendary masked crime-fighter of the Old West and Tonto his loyal Native American companion..

Bulger, 83, is currently awaiting trial on 19 counts of murder plus charges relating to drug dealing, extortion, money laundering and conspiracy. He denies the charges.

He became an FBI informant in 1975 and in 1994, after apparently being tipped off by his former FBI handler, he went into hiding.

He was on the run until June 2011 when he was arrested without incident at a house in Santa Monica, California.

During his time as a fugitive he featured for more than a decade on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.

Bulger's trial is set to begin this year, although his lawyers have requested a lengthy delay to allow time to review more than 300,000 documents.

One matter yet to be settled is Bulger's claim that he was awarded immunity from prosecution in a deal he struck with former US Attorney Jeremiah O'Sullivan in the 1970s.

Prosecutors said in November that there was no proof the two ever met and described the claim as "frivolous" and "absurd".

 

[The_King_of_Everything]

 

[spliz]

U should put this in the thread where nikkas was sayin Depp dont play different roles...lol

 

[Binary]

yes

 

[KevCo]

Departed pt 2?

 

[YouMadd?]

Is it a requirement that every A lister be involved with a gangster epic?

 

[Jermio]

Depp just cockblocked Affleck and Damon. Affleck announced some time ago that he was going to direct a Whitey Bulger flick with Matt Damon starring after he does his next movie.

 

[Liquid]

Is it a requirement that every A lister be involved with a gangster epic?

yes

is this a problem?

 

[YouMadd?]

yes

is this a problem?

I guess the lack of creativity and the propensity to use predictable stories in Hollywood shouldn't be a surprise to me at this point:BABY:

 

[MightyHealthy]

This can be terrific, for real. A lot of people know Bulger from Nicholson's performance of a character based on Whitey in The Departed, but his actual story is truly fascinating.

Being sent to Alcatraz, an CIA-approved LSD lab rat, "Top Echelon" FBI informant...having a brother who was a prominent Massachusetts politician that may or may not have looked out for him...shyt could be epic.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Depp just cockblocked Affleck and Damon. Affleck announced some time ago that he was going to direct a Whitey Bulger flick with Matt Damon starring after he does his next movie.

I hope they still go through with it, I was watching GWH last night wondering if Damon would let Affleck direct him, and it was a mob flick?!

depp