Johnny Depp Commits to Star in 'Transcendence,' 'Black Mass' Back-to-Back in 2013

Johnny Depp has set his next two movies.

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He will star in Transcendence, a sci-fi thriller to be directed by Inception cinematographer Wally Pfister. He then will segue into Black Mass, a biopic of Boston gangster Whitey Bulger for director Barry Levinson.

Both projects already had been reported by The Hollywood Reporter, but Depp had not formally committed to either movie, raising doubts about whether they would get made. A statement released Wednesday by Depp's agency resolves those questions.

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Transcendence, financed and produced by Alcon Entertainment (Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are executive producing), will begin shooting in April. The film, written by newcomer Jack Paglen, will be released by Warner Bros. The story has not been revealed, but sources say Depp will play a scientist whose brain is uploaded into a supercomputer.

After that film, Depp will move on to Black Mass, based on the nonfiction Bulger book by Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill. Shooting on that film, financed by Cross Creek and Exclusive Media, is set to begin in summer. 

Depp, repped by UTA and Bloom Hergott, next hits theaters in The Lone Ranger, set for release July 3 by Disney.

Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com

Twitter:@Borys_Kit