Johnny Depp lines up a slew of new projects: The Night Stalker, Paul Revere, and more

If I didn't know better, I'd think Johnny Depp was preparing for life after Jack Sparrow. With Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides surpassing the $1B mark last week, reports surfaced that Depp was close to signing on for a fifth film. I still think it's just a matter of time, since whether the script is any good hasn't been a concern for him the last two movies. Yesterday, however, ThePlaylist learned that Depp's people are saying that a deal isn't quite so certain. Not yet, anyway. Adding to that, Depp has lined up a handful of potential projects that could keep him quite busy whether he sets sail with Pirates or not.

First up, ThePlaylist broke the news that Depp and one of my favorite directors, Julian Schnabel(The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), are pairing up for an adaptation of In the Hand of Dante, Nick Tosches's novel about the 14th century poet's attempt to complete his classic The Divine Comedy. There's a parallel story involving a modern day version of Tosches, who gets embroiled in a mystery involving one of Dante's manuscripts. Schnabel said the film won't get done for a couple of years, with Depp likely to play Tosche.

Next up, Deadline is reporting that Depp and his Infinitum Nihil production house have snatched up a couple of other flicks as potential starring vehicles. One puts Depp firmly back into the realm of the weird(where he's best, I think). They're currently developing a remake of The Night Stalker, the first of two TV horror movies that kicked off the series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker(starring an awesome Darren McGavin!).  The series only last one year, but has remained a cult favorite through cable reruns.

The other project is over at Disney, where he's developing a film about American patriot and famous Midnight Rider, Paul Revere. Obviously the film will focus on how he rode up and down the streets screaming about how the British were coming to take away our 2nd amendment rights which we didn't even have yet....huh? Um, no. But it will focus on that night in which he rode from Charlestown to Lexington, warning other patriots about the British's movements. Lee and Janet Batchler(Batman Forever) wrote the script. Doesn't this sound like a Jerry Bruckheimer joint? I bet it will be.