Johnny Depp to produce 'Master and Margarita' film adaptation
What's the story
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is set to produce, and potentially star in, the first English-language adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's Russian literary masterpiece The Master and Margarita, reported Variety. The project was announced at the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. It will be produced by Depp's IN.2 Film, along with executive producer Svetlana Dali (Jeanne du Barry) and Grace Loh.
Production insights
'The Master and Margarita' production details revealed
The Master and Margarita will be produced by Dali, Loh, Depp, Stephen Deuters, and Stephen Malit. The film's production is expected to begin in late 2026. The Red Sea Fund partially financed Depp's 2023 film Jeanne du Barry, but is not involved in this project.
Storyline
'The Master and Margarita' plot and significance
Bulgakov's novel, published posthumously in the 1960s, has never been adapted into an English-language film despite attempts by Roman Polanski, Federico Fellini, Terry Gilliam, and Baz Luhrmann. The story is set in 1930s Moscow, where "the devil returns with his talking cat to wreak havoc among corrupt citizens." "The Master and Margarita' tells a fantastical, satirical tale of love, artistic freedom and the eternal battle of good versus evil," says the synopsis.
Career revival
Depp's Hollywood comeback and upcoming projects
Depp is set to make a Hollywood comeback after his legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard over domestic abuse allegations. He is in talks to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Paramount Pictures's dark adaptation of A Christmas Carol, directed by Ti West. He will also star opposite Penelope Cruz in Lionsgate's upcoming action thriller Day Drinker from Marc Webb. These roles will be his first major studio projects since 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.