‘We knew that the budget was going to be huge initially,’ he tells MTV News of back-and-forth budget talks. By Kara Warner Johnny Depp Photo: WireImage Much like the unforgivable and unpredictable nature of the American Old West, the plight of Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski’s big-screen adaptation of “The Lone Ranger” has been quite a bumpy ride. The film got the green light earlier this year, with Depp settled into the role of Tonto and Armie Hammer selected to play the Ranger . Then in August, Disney put a halt on the production with claims that the budget was too big. Just this week, negotiations ended on a happy note, with the production back in full swing and a tentative start date scheduled for early next year. MTV News caught up with Depp as he promoted “The Rum Diary” to find out why “Ranger” is so important to him and why the budget became such a big issue for the studio bigwigs. “I like the character. I think I have interesting plans for the character, and I think the film itself could be entertaining and very funny,” he said. “But also I like the idea of having the opportunity to make fun of the idea of the Indian as a sidekick — which has always been [the case] throughout the history of Hollywood, the Native American has always been a second-class, third-class, fourth-class citizen, and I don’t see Tonto that way at all. So it’s an opportunity for me to salute Native Americans.” With regard to the back-and-forth budget talks with the studio, Depp admitted that he and director Verbinski knew they’d be in for some negotiating from the get-go, but they also planned to be patient. “We knew that the budget was going to be huge initially, and we also knew that it was going to be shut down for a while, and it was kind of like we patiently wait — we shave a little bit here, we do a little bit there, [and] they fix it.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
She was welcomed home by friends and family in Seattle this week. Will Amanda Knox reunite with boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito next? The two were dating at the time of Meredith Kercher’s 2007 slaying. Both were found guilty of murder in 2009, only to see their convictions overturned in a Perugia, Italy, courtroom Monday evening. What does the future hold for the pair? Amanda’s father, Curt, say she’s expecting to see Raffaele Sollecito soon. “I think Raffaele at some point in time will visit Seattle,” he told the UK’s Telegraph . “It will be very nice for them to actually see each other again.” Knox’s father was “not aware” if Amanda had reached out to Raffaele via phone since their releases. Sollecito was quoted as saying just after his release: “Amanda? Maybe I’ll see her again, but now I only want to be with my family.” Her homecoming was celebrated with pizza and wine earlier this week. Knox spent time with her 5-year-old cousins, who were 1 when she was jailed. Mostly, she slept in and enjoyed the sweet taste of freedom. While the ordeal is over, Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann had less-than-conclusive thoughts about Knox, painted in the Italian tabloids as “Foxy Knoxy.”
With a brief personal scandal behind him, Johnny Depp can now return to what he does best: portray unique character on the big screen. From Captain Jack Sparrow to Sweeney Todd, no one does it better. Up next, according to The Hollywood Reporter , the Oscar-winning actor will anchor a live action movie about the life of iconic children’s author Dr. Seuss. It’s unknown what form the film will take, but Depp has “the potential to star as Seuss,” the article reads. Born Theodor Geisel, Dr. Seuss’ best well-known books include “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Cat in the Hat,” “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish,” “Horton Hears a Who!” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” As for Depp, he’ll star in The Rum Diary , which hits theaters on October 28. [Photo: WENN.com]
Welcome to THG’s Week in Review! Below, our staff takes a look back at the stories, stars and scandals that made these past seven days so memorable. If you don’t already, you can FOLLOW THG on Twitter and Facebook for 24/7/365 news. Day in and day out, let us be your entertainment news source! Now, a rundown of the week that was at The Hollywood Gossip : Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. In a word, he was awesome. Amanda Knox was freed after her murder conviction was overturned . ESPN fired Hank Williams Jr. for likening President Obama to Hitler. Speaking of ESPN, their magazine features Hope Solo nude . Johnny Depp likened photo shoots to rape . Rape, people. Ashton Kutcher and Sara Leal totally, probably boned. Casey Anthony Jail Video: Reaction to Caylee Death This never-before-seen Casey Anthony jail video was released. This little girl became an online sensation. Disturbing, but fun. Sarah Palin is not running for President. Nor is Chris Christie. Herman Cain is running … his mouth. And for U.S. President. Speaking of running one’s mouth … watch this Diddy rant . Rachel Uchitel and Matt Hahn apparently tied the knot. There is apparently a Tupac sex tape out there. Nancy Grace Farts on Dancing With the Stars Man, Nancy Grace really needs to pull it together. See clip above. She’s still on the show, though. Kristin Cavallari cannot say that. Jacqueline Laurita apparently does not like Teresa Giudice. Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed finally got married! Is Jennifer Aniston pregnant ? It looks like … no way. Thomas Jane was actually a male prostitute . The X Factor Top 32 have been unveiled! Behind the Scenes with Kristen Stewart Kristin Stewart finally confirmed she is dating Robert Pattinson ! In more surprising news: Emily Maynard and Jeremy Shockey ? Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are reportedly a thing. Ditto Leonardo DiCaprio and Alyce Crawford . And Penn Badgley and Zoe Kravitz as well. Revee Carney and Ashley Greene too.
Laurence R. Harvey (not to be confused with Laurence Harvey, the late Oscar-nominated Lithuanian-British actor) made an unusual debut on the world’s stage when a close-up of his face, sweaty and bug-eyed, was released as the first image from Tom Six’s depraved sequel The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) . Meeting the British stage veteran — and, yes, one-time children’s television performer — on the red carpet at Fantastic Fest , Movieline was pleasantly relieved to find that Harvey is far from his disturbing alter ego, the put-upon Human Centipede -worshipping drudge Martin, who commits unspeakable acts upon fresh victims in the new film. But does his mother know what he’s been up to?
After an excerpt of his Vanity Fair interview hit yesterday in which he compared being photographed to being raped , Johnny Depp (whose Rum Diary hits screens in a few weeks) thought better of his word choice. “”I am truly sorry for offending anyone in any way. I never meant to. It was a poor choice of words on my part in an effort to explain a feeling. I understand there is no comparison and I am very regretful. In an effort to correct my lack of judgment, please accept my heartfelt apology.” No worries, Johnny. It’s Apology Wednesday ! Stick around for more Buzz Break.
With Chaz Bono in last place for the second consecutive week on Dancing With the Stars, and by a large margin no less, we thought his run on the show was over. We thought wrong. Chaz and Lacey Schwimmer ended up with the lowest score of the week Monday – 18 points – well behind the next lowest stars, Carson Kressley and Nancy Grace. When the audience’s votes were factored in along with the scores, the show’s first transgendered contestant was spared. But what about those other two? Carson Kressley was in fact in the bottom three, but he was there along with the beautiful-but-boring Kristin Cavallari and Hope Solo, not Nancy Grace . That’s DWTS for you. Week after week, it’s anyone’s game. So who got the axe among these three competitors when the week’s results were unveiled? Follow the jump to find out … Kristin Cavallari , despite a solid score of 24 that tied for third place Monday, couldn’t muster the votes to stay. Is America just not a fan of her or The Hills? “This is truly crazy,” head judge Len Goodman said of the Dancing With the Stars results, which prompted some booing in the audience. “It’s just madness.” “I’m a little surprised to be honest but I’ve had such a great time and it’s been an awesome experience,” said Kristin, who was cheered on by Jay Cutler . “I was really proud of Kristin,” her partner Mark Ballas said. “She had great potential and she absolutely killed it last night. I’m honored to be her partner.” Do you agree with Kristin’s elimination? It is, after all, America’s call. The scores do carry weight, but only partially. She didn’t close the deal with voters. Did Kristin Cavallari deserve to be voted off DWTS?
He may get away with saying almost anything as Captain Jack Sparrow, but Johnny Depp is at the center of a controversy due to remarks he makes in the latest issue of Vanity Fair . In an interview with the magazine, the actor expresses his disdain for photo shoots by comparing them to rape , actually reiterating that word for emphasis. In response, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) has issued the statement: “While photos may feel at times intrusive, being photographed in no way compares to rape – a violent crime which affects another American every 2 minutes. RAINN welcomes the opportunity to speak with Mr. Depp and educate him about the real life experiences faced by survivors every day, and ways that he can work with RAINN to help.” Do you think Depp should apologize for his word choice?
Today’s real talk from Johnny Depp , speaking with Vanity Fair about his lucrative Pirates of the Caribbean franchise: “Basically, if they’re going to pay me the stupid money right now, I’m going to take it… I have to. I mean, it’s not for me. Do you know what I mean? At this point, it’s for my kids. It’s ridiculous, yeah, yeah. But ultimately is it for me? No. No. It’s for the kids.” And, on the subject of being photographed: “Well, you just feel like you’re being raped somehow. Raped … It feels like a kind of weird — just weird, man.” [ Vanity Fair , THR ]
We’re also looking forward to ‘Three Musketeers,’ ‘In Time’ and ‘Like Crazy’ this month. By Kara Warner Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald in “Footloose” Photo: Paramount Pictures As we while away the remaining days of September, there is a lot more than Halloween candy to look forward to in the month of October. We’re talking about October movies, of course, when studios begin unveiling their heavy-hitting award contenders, as well as a few fun, fall-themed crowd-pleasers. In order of their release dates, here are a few of the films we’re most looking forward to seeing on the big screen in October: October 7 “The Ides of March” : Really, what’s not to like about this movie? You have George Clooney as director and star, alongside 2011 “it” guy Ryan Gosling in a film about corruption in politics. It’s timely, smart and in addition to featuring two handsome leading men, boasts a very talented supporting cast in Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei. “Real Steel” : When this movie was announced, we were right there with all the naysayers, scratching our heads and wondering how a major studio would make a “robot boxing movie” worth watching. Much to our surprise, the early buzz on the film is really good, from some of the crankiest critics out there, and its selling point seems to be the father/son relationship between Hugh Jackman and newcomer Dakota Goyo. Consider us intrigued. October 14 “Footloose” : This is not a future Oscar-winner, naturally, but if you have any affection for movies with a lot of dancing and teenage angst or grew up with the Kevin Bacon-starring original, the remake of “Footloose” is a lot of fun. Lead actor Kenny Wormald has come a long way from his newbie actor days in “You Got Served” and “Center Stage: Turn It Up” to become a believable leading man. And his dancing is terrific. Serious triple-threat Julianne Hough is fun to watch as well, but pay special attention to charming scene-stealer Miles Teller as adorable country bumpkin Willard. October 21 “The Three Musketeers” : While Paul W.S. Anderson is not particularly well-known for the complexities in his storytelling, his films are always wonderfully visual and action-packed. With his retelling of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers,” Anderson is working with a classic story of good vs. evil, along with the added appeal of swordfights and swashbuckling. Add to that the appealing castmembers — Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Matthew Macfadyen and Ray Stevenson — and you have the makings of an entertaining popcorn flick. Honorable mention : “Paranormal Activity 3,” because while this writer is a total scaredy cat and too afraid of this franchise to watch it, plenty of other filmgoers are psyched for this third installment, directed by “Catfish” helmers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. October 28 “In Time : Even though we would prefer this date to mark the release of a new album from Justin Timberlake, the premise of the futuristic society living with a fountain of youth is enough to get us into the theater. And in addition to seeing Timberlake in action — he runs a lot in the film — a bunch of easy-on-the-eyes actors are in the cast, including Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Alex Pettyfer and Matt Bomer. “Like Crazy” : For those who love a weepy romance, “Like Crazy” has you covered. This year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner is about college sweethearts who are torn apart by deportation and features two buzz worthy performances by Anton Yelchin and newcomer Felicity Jones . Director Drake Doremus has promised a genuine, authentic love story that has the hopeless romantics among us ready to stuff our pockets with extra tissues for opening day. Honorable mention : “The Rum Diary,” because it stars a relatively normal-looking Johnny Depp and Aaron Eckhart and is based on Hunter S. Thompson’s “lost” novel written in the early ’60s but not published until 1998. Which October movies are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments! For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Shake A Leg With These ‘Footloose’ Clips Related Photos ‘Footloose’
