Hey Yo, Draven here.
The Wrap is reporting that Johnny Depp is close to signing on to star in David Koepp’s MORTDECAI. MORTDECAI will be an adaptation of Kyril Bonfiglioli’s novel, THE GREAT MORTDECAI MOUSTACHE MYSTERY.
The novel was finished and published after Bonfigliol’s death by Craig Brown, and is the last in a series of comedic crime novels. Each novel follows Charlie Mortdecai, a quirky anti-hero, who is a wealthy art dealer that also occasionally displays psychotic tendencies who gets himself involved with mysteries. It sounds very similar to the kind of role that Depp has resigned himself to playing recently.
The series is well regarded though so maybe this will turn into something interesting. The other silver lining to this news is that it might scratch the itch that Depp and Koepp obviously have for a comedic quirky crime story. They have been trying to get a remake of THE THIN MAN off the ground for some time now and maybe this can help them give up on that. (We could only be so lucky).
I have my doubts about this project though. While Koepp is an accomplished screenwriter, most of his directorial features have fallen flat for me. He already directed one terrible collaboration with Johnny Depp in SECRET WINDOW and also directed last year’s terrible, PREMIUM RUSH. (I do enjoy STIR OF ECHOES though.)
Here is Amazon’s description of the novel:
Kyril Bonfiglioli's final novel follows the Hon. Charlie Mortdecai from adventure to misadventure via Jersey and Moscow to a final showdown in a Buckinghamshire bungalow of unparalleled hideousness. Tackling en route an unhealthy sprinkling of well-seasoned academics, a cryptic monk, an aristocratic Chief Constable, and more spies than you could shoehorn into a black stretch limo, Mordecai finds himself embroiled in another mission of international insecurity. Left unfinished at the time of the author's death, the celebrated satirist and parodist Craig Brown supplies the penultimate, plot-resolving chapter.
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