There was already quite the pop culture collision when news emerged in 2012 that Edgar Wright had agreed to direct Johnny Depp in a film version of supernatural mystery TV series The Night Stalker. While that has yet to find its way to screens, they’re teaming up for a different project that adds another big name that is causing ripples: Neil Gaiman and his book Fortunately, The Milk{
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox is eagerly looking to get in on the project, which would be a blend of live-action and animation that expands upon Gaiman’s fun 2014 bestseller. The story, illustrated in the book by Skottie Young, concerns a father caring for his young son and daughter while their mother is away on business. Discovery they’re out of milk one morning, he leads to the local shop, but returns hours later with a fantastical tale involving time travel, pirates, aliens, a volcano god and a stegosaurus in a hot air balloon. Just your average shopping trip, then.
And the enticing project features another person whose name usually means quality entertainment: Bret McKenzie, who is writing the adaptation and, we would surely hope, one or two songs given his background in Flight Of The Conchords and his Oscar for The Muppets.
Depp’s looking to star and produce, but we’ll likely have to wait for this one as all involved are busy. Wright has crime pic Baby Driver in pre-production, Depp is next on screen here in Black Mass (out November 27) and has worked on Kevin Smith’s Yoga Hosers, Alice In Wonderland sequel Through The Looking Glass and the fifth Pirates film. McKenzie has several projects on the go, including a potential Conchords movie.