Johnny Depp Could Return for 'Black Mass', But It's Unlikely

With Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and an Alice in Wonderland sequel both moving forward in rapid-fire succession, Johnny Depp's decision last week to depart  Whitey Bulger biopic Black Mass made a lot of sense. There was more to it, though, as Depp had been asked to take a pay cut from his usual $20M (*gasp* How will he get by??) salary. While Depp does indeed appear to be gone from the project, a few more details have emerged as producers and financiers scramble to find a way to get him back.

A lengthy story at THR can be simplified this way: Depp was due to make his standard $20M fee, but that was only if the budget managed to stay at $50M or less. When it ballooned to $63M, Depp, co-star Joel Edgerton, and director Barry Levinson were asked to reduce their usual asking price. Whether or not the other two agreed isn't clear, but it's obvious that Depp and his partners at Cross Creek Pictures refused.

Reps on both sides of the issue paint vastly different pictures of the situation, as one might expect, but the point is that this version of Black Mass is "dead", and Tom Cruise has been approached about replacing Depp. But what they really want is to come to an accord with Depp, and continue to try and work out a deal that could pay him roughly $15M if he agrees. With Depp set to shoot Wally Pfister's Transcendence, and his two biggest franchises gearing up for sequels, the window of opportunity has probably closed.