Despite being on the hunt for a female co-star merely weeks ago, Warner Bros. has now pushed aside Rob Marshall and Johnny Depp's remake of "The Thin Man," noting that the project was never officially greenlit and that original plans have been temporarily shelved for now as Marshall is moving forward with his adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's "Into The Woods" instead and Depp wants to "take some time between films."
Plans had been to shoot the project as early as November this year with the role of the female lead reportedly down to Emily Blunt, Kristen Wiig and Emma Stone as of late April though nothing has been heard from the project since then. Does this spell bad news? Deadline reasonably posits that the move may have to do with the underwhelming performance of another Depp-led, quirky period tale — Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" — but also that the reported budget north of $100 million was also an issue particulary for the studio, which has canned "Paradise Lost" and "Akira" due to finances this year alone. Does this spell trouble for the project? Or are they truthfully holding things aside for now with all intentions to come back if/when possible? We'll have to wait and see.
Based on the classic Dashiell Hammett book of the same name, "The Thin Man" follows Nick Charles, a man who marries into money and gives up a career as a hard-boiled gumshoe to become a semi-professional alcoholic and full-time trophy husband. It certainly sounds like an interesting enough role for Depp, and one that he could probably do in his sleep, but that's not necessarily a guarantee of success. The actor hasn't exactly had the best run of late either with "The Tourist," "The Rum Diary" and "Dark Shadows," and has another troubled project due out next summer in "The Lone Ranger," which is already over-budget, behind schedule and being re-written. At the end of the day, it may very well be in Warner Bros.' best interest to wait it out and test the waters before jumping back in bed with Depp. [Deadline]
