Anxious to return to a successful franchise, Johnny Depp is nearing agreement with Disney to produce Alice in Wonderland 2.
According to Deadline, Johnny Depp and Disney are nearing a deal to finally get the Alice in Wonderland sequel into production. The move comes at an obvious time for both parties, as their current summer blockbuster The Lone Ranger is performing horrendously at the box office.
Alice in Wonderland 2, currently titled Into the Looking Glass, will bring Depp back to a world he’s had financial success in.
Depp has of course struggled at the box office the past two years. We have to go all the way back to 2011 to reach a Depp-starred film that’s brought in even $100 million in the box office, even worldwide. That year he starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, a successful franchise for him, at least financially. Depp’s two most recent films – this year’s The Lone Ranger and last year’s Dark Shadows – have been box office flops.
Alice in Wonderland 2 will not be directed by the 2010 film’s director and long time Depp collaborator Tim Burton. Instead, the sequel will be directed by James Bobin, most famous for directing The Muppets and its upcoming sequel Muppets Most Wanted.
Linda Woolverton will return to write the screenplay. She’s written many of the Disney classics, including The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
It’s clear that Depp is going for the big payday with the movies he makes. It’d be nice to see him stay away from franchise movies for a while and see what he can do in something else. It can’t be denied that he can act, but it seems he’s more keen on making money than showing us his abilities.