Cinematographer Wally Pfister has been prepping his directorial debut, TRANSCENDENCE, and is now beginning the task of hiring actors to topline the pic. Now, word is that Johnny Depp is taking the lead in the secret sci-fi project written by newcomer Jack Paglen and produced by Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.
“Johnny Depp is one of the most charismatic, talented actors imaginable and we are delighted he is with us on this project.” said Kosove and Johnson.
“I’m thrilled, and feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Johnny. He is a creative and intelligent artist whom I feel will bring great depth to the character and the overall narrative,” said Pfister.
Pfister has been making the rounds of late, mostly taking potshots at the cinematography of Joss Whedon’s THE AVENGERS, saying “I thought THE AVENGERS was an appalling film. They’d shoot from some odd angle and I’d think, why is the camera there? Oh, I see, because they spent half a million on the set and they have to show it off. It took me completely out of the movie. I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling.”
Whedon responded simply by saying, “I’m sorry to hear it, I’m a fan.”
TRANSCENDENCE will begin shooting in early 2013 with a release date to be decided. More as this develops.