Johnny Depp Behind Latest Attempt To Adapt ‘The Master & Margarita’ With Cameras Aiming To Roll In Late 2026

Johnny Depp is set to produce and possibly star in “The Master & Margarita,” based on the novel penned by Soviet author Mikhail Bulgakov, which was written between 1928-1940 and was heavily inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe‘s “Faust” (where the term Faustian deal comes from, referring to making a regretful pact with the devil).

It was announced at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival (via Variety) to be out to buyers at the Red Sea Souk film market. However, “The Master & Margarita” is currently without a director attached but has Depp’s IN.2 Film banner producing with “Jeanne du Barry” executive producer Svetlana Dali and Grace Loh alongside Stephen Deuters and Stephen Malit.

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The outlet added the following synopsis for the gestating Depp version of the film:

“Set between 1930s Moscow, where the devil returns with his talking cat to cause havoc amongst its corrupt citizens, and Jerusalem during the time of Pontius Pilate, ‘The Master and Margarita’ tells a fantastical, satirical tale of love, artistic freedom, and the eternal battle of good versus evil. A third intertwined story follows a struggling writer and his lover, Margarita, who is willing to do anything to save him from the totalitarian system. What follows is a darkly comic, wildly imaginative tale of inexhaustible energy, philosophical depth, and spiritual rebellion, a work that remains ferociously relevant today and a timeless reminder of art’s power to challenge, illuminate, and endure.”

There have been various attempts and adaptations of the book over the years. Famously, in 1989, Warner Bros. attempted to task director Roman Polanski (whom Depp worked with on the occult thriller “The Ninth Gate“) to adapt and helm an iteration of Bulgakov’s novel, but it was eventually dropped by the studio due to budgetary concerns and the fall of the Berlin Wall being seen as making the project less relevant.

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More recently, filmmaker Michael Lockshin made his own version that debuted last year, featuring a decent cast that included Yevgeny Tsyganov, Yuliya Snigir, Claes Bang, and August Diehl (also seemed to have a decent budget, given the sets and visual effects in the trailer’s footage).

If everything goes to plan and “The Master & Margarita” lands financing, a director, and cast, filming on Depp’s iteration could begin as soon as late 2026. Depp will be next seen in Marc Webb and Lionsgate‘s action thriller “Day Drinker” co-starring with Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline (still awaiting a domestic release date).