“To grow a surreal ’stache or to not grow a surreal ’stache?”
According to The New Zealand Herald, Johnny Depp is currently holding auditions for screenwriters to pen an upcoming movie based on the life of the late, great surrealist painter and world renown eccentric Salvador Dali (at right). It’s said that Depp will star as Dali, which sounds like a role he’d gravitate to, though this is the first time I’ve heard of the film and moreover Depp’s involvement. The paper also quotes an unnamed source as saying, “[Depp]’s open to working with anyone - from housewives to pensioners - if the script is right.” Well now.
Still, it sounds as the film’s legit. Also quoted is producer Peter Rawley, who last produced a film called Spy Sorge in 2003 according to IMDB, and before that nothing I’d heard of before. In regards to numerous unrelated Dali projects currently in development, including Dali and I: The Surreal Story with Al Pacino and Goodbye Dali with Peter O’Toole, Rawley said, “”Filmmakers somehow pick up on the vibe. But three films [about Dali] is nothing, at one stage, we counted up to nine.”
Next up for Depp is Michael Mann’s historical mobster tale Public Enemies, due in 2009, opposite Christian Bale, and he’ll also pay tribute to the late Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Other projects still warm on the burner include the delayed India-set drug drama Shantaram, which producer Graham King (The Departed) recently said was definitely still happening, and the Hunter S. Thompson adaptation The Rum Diary (also being produced by King). So, where a Dali biopic fits in Depp’s dizzying puzzle is unknown. More on this project if and when it develops.
Discuss: Depp as Dali? Might this project break the general sentiment heard in the Slashfilm comments of “not another biopic”? Which of Depp’s future projects do you hope comes to fruition first?
March 12th, 2008 at 1:27 am
It would be cool to do it in an untraditional style like “I’m Not There”. Show what goes on in his head, throw in some animation and crazy sets. Just don’t give me the guys life story recapped in 2 hours.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:32 am
this would be great with a cool visual director, like gondry, schnabel, taymor, ummm, anyone who will bring something out of the basic narrative-box to the film. make it more than just a regular biopic by bringing dali’s work to life onscreen.
March 12th, 2008 at 1:36 am
not taymor
March 12th, 2008 at 4:12 am
My first thought:
Who else?
March 12th, 2008 at 4:13 am
hi
March 12th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Norman: I agree completely, Depp or nobody on the Dali biopic.
I’m a huge fan of mobster movies and Bale, so I hope Public Enemies comes out first (likely).
Other than that, Johnny Depp is a god and can pull off anything. It will be gold.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:05 am
hmmm i was always rooting for Pacino to do this…
March 12th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Ugh. Artist biopics are the worst. Cheese factor is always way too high. Wasn’t Pacino supposed to be playing Dali in something too? Seems like there was semebody else lined up to play Dali soon.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Depp as Dali?
HELL YEAH!
March 12th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
As long as he don’t sing this time…
March 12th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Exciting! Pretty cool about the anything-goes script, too. Hopefully, they’ll pick something as eccentric as Dali was. I don’t think I could sit through a life story (well, maybe for Johnny Depp, but it be better if it was an enjoyable storyline).
I actually really want him to finish Shantaram. The book is awesome & I’m interested to see how they’ll do it. & if he’ll have a passable Aussie accent? Rum Diary next, not really too excited about Public Enemies… But Terry Gilliam is amazing & I hope that film turns out alright. Not really sure about Colin Farrell though :\
March 17th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I’m very interested in Dali, and I’ve seen some things about a different actor playing him. He’s not nearly as well-known as Johnny Depp. His name is Robert Pattinson, and I was a little skeptical after hearing that he had been in a Harry Potter film, but after look up some of his other work [thank you youtube], I feel very comfortable with him as Dali - in fact, I recently saw a promo picture, and was extremely happy to see that his good looks had been played down, since I didn’t want that to be what carried this role for him. However, I do think that Johnny Depp playing Salvador Dali would make for a very interesting, albeit more mainstream, take on the artist. I look forward to it, as well as the version starring Pattinson.