Yes, so “The Lone Ranger” flopped hard, but honestly, who thought that was even possible? Even with the not-so-hot reviews going into the opening weekend, the general consensus seemed to be: Johnny Depp + “Pirates Of The Caribbean” director and producer = extra-large-parking-spot-required-for-dump-truck-filled-with-cash. However, that didn’t really pan out at all. Is Depp’s star fading? Would Disney really be ditching the star who has made them literally billions of dollars because of one movie? Whatever happened, the mouse house isn’t too concerned at all and are eagerly firming up the walls of Depp’s home at the studio.
In fact, Disney already has ‘Pirates 5‘ slated for a 2015 release, and in order to underscore how much they’re hugging it out with Depp, the studio has been busy today, as it is now the new home for Depp’s production shingle Infinitum Nihil, and it’s now extra-confirmed that the actor will return for the brewing “Alice In Wonderland 2.” But did anyone ever really doubt that? Yeah, didn’t think so. Anyway, the new trip down the rabbit hole has original ‘Alice’ writer Linda Woolverton penning the script, and while no release date has been set, it does confirm that Depp won’t be too far away from his tickle trunk of wacky haberdashery anytime soon. Tonto may not ride again, but Disney still believes in the power of Depp.
So what does the actor’s future look like? If all goes according to plan, once he wraps up “Transcendence,” he’ll shoot the recently announced “Mortdecai” this fall, followed by Rob Marshall‘s musical “Into The Woods” and presumably ‘Pirates 5’ right after that. Out of his next three movies, two are at Disney. So rest assured, Depp will still be able to buy an island if he wants to. [Variety/Deadline]