Johnny Depp may depart Whitey Bulger pic 'Black Mass' over salary disputes

Just as Pirates of the Caribbean 5 is ready to move forward with Kon-Tiki directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sanberg taking the helm, another Johnny Depp project may have run aground.  Depp had been set to star in Barry Levinson's Black Mass, a biopic on infamous Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. After taking awhile to get moving, it was starting to take shape with Joel Edgerton recently coming aboard to play FBI agent John Connoll, Bulger's childhood friend. But with filming set to begin this summer, producers may need to start looking for a new A-list star to step in and fill Depp's shoes.

A number of sources are reporting that a salary dispute may be causing Depp to depart the project, mainly because sales at Cannes didn't go exactly as expected. Because of that, the budget was reduced down to about $60M, which is pretty big for a crime film, but not not when you factor in Depp's usual $20M salary. A deal to try and cut his salary in half isn't going over well, as one might expect, and it's looking like they may not be able to reach a compromise.

This is a potentially major film, but it's largely being powered with the promise of Depp in the lead role. If he drops out, the prospects of Black Mass happening  will take a huge hit, especially with other Bulger adaptations in various stages of development. Expect to hear something definite soon.