Johnny Depp Gets A Big Payday For TRANSCENDENCE

Johnny Depp is going to try something different. The actor is close to signing on to cinematographer Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, Transcendence.

The film will be produced by Christopher Nolan, who collaborated with Pfister on Memento, Inception and his three Batman films. Transcendence is described as ‘being in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Inception‘. Here’s a brief plot synopsis from The Hollywood Reporter:

“The story centers on a man who creates a computer that develops a malevolent awareness. Depp will play a husband who gets sucked into the computer, contingent on changes Pfister is making to the script, sources say.”

It sounds very Nolan-esqe (and a bit like Tron). Jack Paglen wrote the screenplay, and the film should shoot early next year. Christoph Waltz has been offered a supporting role, while Pfister has also met with Noomi Rapace, Tobey Maguire and James McAvoy.

I recently talked a bit about movie star salaries, but Depp appears to have snagged an impressive payday, scoring $20 million against 15% of the gross. It looks like the recession is over.

It’s good to see Depp stretching himself as an actor, and hopefully he plays it straight in Transcendence.

Source: THR