MOVIE NEWS – Johnny Depp, after returning to cinema in 2023 with a French historical drama following years away due to legal battles with Amber Heard, is back in the headlines. Depp is joining Ridley Scott, director of Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator, for an ambitious horror project that reimagines a cornerstone of gothic fiction. Together, they’re giving a new twist to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

According to Variety, Depp and Scott, alongside production company Mechanical Cake, are co-owners of a new graphic novel based on Stevenson’s classic. Their first joint effort, Hyde, focuses squarely on Mr. Hyde—this time in a world where Hyde has vanquished his Dr. Jekyll alter ego and is free to indulge his dark urges. He roams London’s sewers, experimenting with a serum to create even more Hydes in the city. The lead character (shown in first-look art) closely resembles Depp, who’s deeply involved in every part of the process.

The two-volume series was written by Mechanical Cake CEO Jesse Negron and Joe Matsumoto, illustrated by Gary Erskine and Chris Weston, and edited by Dave Elliott. “This is an incredible opportunity to build a studio-level project that goes directly from the creators to the audience, with no filters in between,” Negron said, revealing Hyde will debut on Halloween as a new must-read for horror fans. “Hyde, like everything Mechanical Cake does, is a bit off the rails, in a good way.”

Johnny Depp Grateful for Ridley Scott’s “Insane” Trust

Depp’s horror credentials are well known—he’s terrified as Glen Lantz in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, and Benjamin Barker in Sweeney Todd. With Hyde, Depp gets to shape a legendary character he isn’t yet playing onscreen, but brings to life on the page. “To build within the world of Robert Louis Stevenson’s masterful characters and to be welcomed into the vision of Ridley Scott… and inexplicably having the opportunity to explore, it’s surprising to me. And hopefully surprising to him. It’s insane and beautiful to receive that trust from Ridley. A master.”

Depp isn’t done acting either: he’s set for two upcoming films—a Marc Webb-directed psychological thriller, Day Drinker, and Terry Gilliam’s apocalyptic comedy The Carnival at the End of Days, starring as Satan alongside Jeff Bridges as God. He’s also reportedly in “advanced talks” to return as Captain Jack Sparrow in a possible sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film.

Source: Variety