First he was on board. Then there was a deal disagreement and for a while there, it appeared that Johnny Depp wouldn’t end up playing notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. Now, thanks to some fresh overtures and the presence of Crazy Heart’s Scott Cooper in the director’s chair, Depp has signed on to star as Bulger in **Black Mass, with the producers talking to Tom Hardy about playing corrupt FBI agent and long-time Bulger friend John Connolly.
This one was first floated back in early 2013, with Barry Levinson directing and Depp in discussions to play Bulger from a script by Mark Mallouk. That in turn was adapted from Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill’s book, subtitled The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI and The Irish Mob.
The film will track Bulger’s life, masterminding a violent gang in Boston while also reportedly turning federal informant to take down rivals. It seemed to be working out well – particularly with Connolly helping to smooth things over – but when the FBI began making arrests, agents double crossed Bulger and prosecuted him. He fled in 1994 and was captured in 2011 in California.
With production set to kick off in May, it appears that Depp and co will beat Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who have been developing a Bulger film for years, to the punch on this one. And in their own Bostonian back yard (sorry, in the local lingo yaaaahhhd) as well!