Joel Edgerton Rejoins Johnny Depp's 'Black Mass' as Warner Bros. Comes Aboard

Johnny Depp has had an on/off attachment to the Whitey Bulger biopic, Black Mass, for quite awhile now, but the film has only had momentum while he was on board. When salary concerns led him to drop out, the project stagnated, lost director Barry Levinson, and didn't resurface until Depp came back. And now the the film has just taken its most significant step forward with Warner Bros. coming aboard to co-finance and distribute.

Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) remains on board as director, and it looks as if the prior reports of Tom Hardy taking the co-lead have proven untrue. Instead it will be Joel Edgerton taking on the role of Bulger's friend and FBI agent, John Connolly, who tipped off the infamous Boston mobster. Edgerton returns after being set for the part back when Levinson was still involved, but departed the film when it started falling apart.

The unfortunate victim of this deal is the Bulger biopic Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were developing for themselves. Warner Bros. has ended their association with the film, which would have had Damon in a starring role and Affleck possibly directing, with a script just turned in by The Wolf of Wall Street's Terence Winter. They were given a couple of days warning about the impending move, but don't be surprised if Warner Bros. seeks to soothe their golden boy Affleck in the next few days. Nobody wants to piss off Batman, do they? [Deadline]

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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.

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Sure Shots: Samuel L. Jackson; Drew Goddard; Joel Edgerton

* Because every Buffy needs a Giles, the Hailee Steinfeld teen-assassin flick Barely Lethal needed someone to play her guide, and it looks like that guy is Samuel L. Jackson. The action comedy stars Steinfeld as a 16-year old assassin who seeks normalcy by faking her own death and enrolling in a normal suburban high school as a senior. Jackson will play her mentor who trains her in the program. Kyle Newman is directing, with Brett Ratner on board to produce. [Variety]

* How does one follow-up on the awesome critical success of The Cabin in the Woods? If you're director Drew Goddard, you venture off into deep space. He'll write and direct The Martian, an adaptation of Andy Weir's e-book about an astronaut stranded on Mars and must survive long enough to get home. If you're looking to download the book, you'll have to wait as it's currently unavailable in preparation for a print release. [The Wrap]

* Suddenly Joel Edgerton's name is on the tip of every Hollywood producer's tongue. Just a few hours ago he signed on to star in The Double Hour alongside Michelle Williams, and now he'll join Johnny Depp in the Whitey Bulger pic, Black Mass. Directed by Barry Levinson, the story will chronicle the infamous mobster's criminal career that led to his emergence a the top of the FBI Most Wanted list. Edgerton will play FBI agent John Connolly, who was also Bulger's childhood friend. Tasked with bringing down the Italian mob, he did so but only to help his friend secure power. [Deadline]

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Johnny Depp to play mobster Whitey Bulger in 'Black Mass'

While Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, and Matt Damon are still developing their own film on infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, it looks like another one is going to beat them to the punch. What's more, considering who will be taking on the Bulger role, it's guaranteed to be high-profile and may put the kibosh on any other flicks looking to tackle the same subject. Cross Creek Pictures has announced that Johnny Depp will be playing Bulger in Black Mass, a new biopic from Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson.

This looks to be Depp's first film post-The Lone Ranger, as the only thing he's seriously committed to right now is Pirates of the Caribbean 5. Black Mass is based on Dick Lehr's 2001 book, Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. The story will follow Bulger's lengthy criminal career stretching back to the 1950s, also depicting the corrupt Boston underbelly involving the FBI and its ties to his illegal activities. Bulger was finally captured in 2011 at the age of 81, and screenwriter Mark Mallouk totally reworked the script to reflect it.

Depp has shown a certain propensity for mobster flicks like this, starring in Donnie Brasco and Public Enemies, so it's good to see him getting back into it and away from the cartoonish characters he's become famous for. Filming on Black Mass begins in May.

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Casey Affleck joins big brother Ben and Matt Damon's Whitey Bulger biopic

While his big bro, Ben Affleck, has moved solidly into becoming one of the most respected directors in the biz, Casey has been busy carving out a role for himself as an actor unafraid to tackle challenging roles about complicated men. I'd point you to his recent turn as the psychotic lawman in Michael Winterbottom's The Killer Inside Me, or his Oscar nominated performance in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. But the latest may be the most complicated of all, as he's set to play William "The Corrupt Midget" Bulger in his brother's planned Whitey Bulger biopic.

As reported just a couple of days ago, the Good Will Hunting duo of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will be teaming up with The Sopranos scribe Terrence Winter on this one, the story of the infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, who spent 16 years on the run from the FBI before being captured earlier this year. Affleck will direct, with Damon starring.

William was a popular figure in Massachusetts politics, elected to the state House of Representative in 1961 before moving to the state Senate in 1970. He served as President of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1978 and had the longest tenure in their history. Despite often being battered politically for his brother's criminal career and William's supposed ignorance of it, he remained a fixture until controversy forced his retirement.

Casey will be seen in just a couple of weeks as part of Brett Ratner's heist comedy, Tower Heist. And soon he'll be co-starring in Alex Proyas' big budget adaptation of Paradise Lost.

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