Johnny Deppreturnedto the silver screen in 2023with a French-language historical drama,having taken a step back from acting during his highly publicized legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. His career comeback continues with the announcement of a curious new horror project that he is working on with famed filmmakerRidley Scott, the director ofAlien, Blade Runner,andGladiator. The two Hollywood heavyweights are joining forces to put a new spin on one of the most well-known and celebrated stories of the gothic horror genre.
According to Variety, Depp and Scott are collaborating with the production company Mechanical Cake, with all three taking co-ownership of a new graphic novel property based on the Robert Louis Stevenson novellaStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydeabout a man who grapples with the ensuing conflict between his two identities. The first project from the new joint venture is a graphic novel titledHydethat will center on one of the two main characters in the original story — no surprise over which one will take to the spotlight.
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Hydewill imagine a world where Mr. Hyde has successfully defeated his Dr. Jekyll alter ego, allowing him to “freely explore his dark tendencies with uninhibited abandon.” This sets him on a trail through the shadowy sewers of London, experimenting on people with a serum that has been formulated to create even more Hydes within the population. The graphic novel’s titular character (glimpsed in the first-look image below) may look familiar, as he shares a strong likeness with Depp, who is set to provide input on all aspects of the property.
Mechanical Cake CEO Jesse Negron wrote the two-volume series with Joe Matsumoto, while Gary Erskine and Chris Weston served as the artists with Dave Elliott as the editor. “This is an incredible opportunity to build a studio-level project that goes directly from the creators to the audience, with no filters in between,” Negron said of the graphic novel, which is scheduled to hit shelves on Halloween, giving horror fans a new read for the spooky season. “Hyde, like everything Mechanical Cake does, is a bit off the rails, in a good way.”
Johnny Depp Is Grateful for Ridley Scott’s “Insane” Trust
Depp is no stranger to the horror genre. He has portrayedseveral memorable characters on-screenover the years, delivering scares as Glen Lantz inA Nightmare on Elm Street, Ichabod Crane inSleepy Hollow,and Benjamin Barker inSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street— to name but a few.Hydewill allow the actor to channel his creative energy into a famous figure that he is not portraying (yet), but is helping to bring to life on the page after being “welcomed into the vision of Ridley Scott,” who he describes as “a master”:
“To build within the world of Robert Louis Stevenson’s masterful characters and to be welcomed into the vision of Ridley Scott… and inexplicably having the opportunity to explore, it’s surprising to me. And hopefully surprising to him. It’s insane and beautiful to receive that trust from Ridley. A master.”
WhileHydemarks an exciting new endeavor for Depp, the actor is far from done with acting. He is set to star in two upcoming films, one being a psychological thriller directed by Marc Webb titledDay Drinker, and the other being the Terry Gilliam apocalyptic comedyThe Carnival at the End of Days, in which he is set to portray Satan opposite Jeff Bridges as God. He is alsoreportedly in “advanced talks"to set sail as Captain Jack Sparrow in a potential sixthPirates of the Caribbeanfilmdespite facing some choppy waters to get there.
Source:Variety
Johnny Depp
