Johnny Depp will step away from the pirate scene to star as a notorious gangster in the new film Black Mass.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is attached to play South Boston Irish mob boss Whitey Bulger, as the film recounts the real-life story of the gangster.
The movie, based on a true story, well tell the life of Whitey Bulger (Depp). He is the brother of a state senator and is well-known for his violent criminals acts making him infamous in South Boston. He became a FBI informant to take down a rival family who intruded on his turf, but the situation changed once the feds found their main targets and crossed Bulger and his partners — thus, turning him into a fugitive on the FBI most-wanted list.
Black Mass is scheduled to begin production in May with Barry Levinson to direct. Cross Creek Pictures bought the rights to the 2001 Bestseller book of the same name, which was written by Mark Mallouk and chronicles the life of crimes of Bulger. In June 2011, after Bulger was captured, Mallouk had to rewrite the end of his novel because the gangster spent more than a decade on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List before being captured.
Depp is also working on another film, Transcendence, which is being directed by Inception director Wally Pfister.
Black Mass is still in its early stages of production, but be sure to check back for more updates for the film.
