Johnny Depp's Pirates Character was Originally Written for Hugh Jackman

Johnny Depp almost missed out on playing his famous Pirates Of The Caribbean character Captain Jack Sparrow - the part was intended for Hugh Jackman.

Depp has thrilled moviegoers with his portrayal of the flamboyant pirate, who the actor has admitted was inspired by Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards, in all three films of the franchise.

He's currently shooting the next instalment, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, set for release in 2011 - but the screenwriter of the original film, Stuart Beattie, has stunned fans by revealing Depp was not his first choice for the role.

Beattie wanted Jackman for the part - but the Australian X-Men star was a relatively unknown actor at the time, and Disney bosses opted to hire Depp.

He tells Fox News, "I initially wrote that character with Hugh Jackman in mind. Hence the name Captain Jack Sparrow."

And Beattie also admits his pirate project took a decade to come to fruition: "I spent ten years pitching it to Disney and they weren't interested. Then finally, I got a call to come back in."

Johnny Depp: Made Disney Nervous With His Flamboyant Portrayal of Capt. Jack Sparrow

Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Capt. Jack Sparrow in Disney’s blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean and its two sequels was good enough to earn the actor an Oscar no nomination for best actor.

But Depp, the cover story in the new Vanity Fair, that some Disney executives were initially skittish over his over-the-top flamboyant portrayal.

“They couldn’t stand him,” he tells rocker Patti Smith who did the interview. “They just couldn’t stand him. I think it was Michael Eisner, the head of Disney at the time, who was quoted as saying, ‘He’s ruining the movie.’ Upper-echelon Disney-ites, going, What’s wrong with him? Is he, you know, like some kind of weird simpleton? Is he drunk? By the way, is he gay?… And so I actually told this woman who was the Disney-ite… ‘But didn’t you know that all my characters are gay?’ Which really made her nervous.”

As we all know, it turned out well for everybody!

Colin Farrell Will Not Play Prince Of Darkness

Colin Farrell's publicist has spoken out to dismiss rumors the Irish actor is preparing to play wild rocker Ozzy Osbourne in a big screen biopic.

The former Black Sabbath frontman and his music manager wife Sharon are keen to transform the rocker's colourful past into a movie, and the rock matriarch has spoken of her desire to cast Johnny Depp in the lead role.

Osbourne recently admitted he would prefer an unknown actor from his native Birmingham, England to land the part - but online reports suggested fellow reformed wildman Farrell had signed up to play the Prince of Darkness.

However, the Phone Booth hunk's spokesperson has quickly denied the speculation, telling GossipCop.com the rumor is "not true".

New Release Tuesday!

Here's a list of what's new on Blu-Ray, CD and DVD including: Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Matt Lucas, Barbara Windsor and Mia Wasikowska.

MOVIES
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Life
U2: 369 At The Rose Bowl *
The Wolfman

MUSIC
Clay Aiken - Tired & True
Jack Johnson - To The Sea
Rush - Clockwork Angels
Taio Cruz - Rokstarr

TV SHOWS
Burn Notice - 3rd Season
Drop Dead Diva - 1st Season
Emily of New Moon - 3rd & 4th Season
Mister Ed - 3rd Season
Rescue Me - 5th Season
16 and Pregnant - 2nd Season, Part 1 +

* Available Thursday, June 3rd
+ Available Wednesday, June 2nd

Ewan McGregor Replaces Johnny Depp in Don Quixote Movie

Ewan McGregor has replaced Johnny Depp in filmmaker Terry Gilliam's quirky movie about Spanish literary hero Don Quixote.

Director Gilliam cast Depp as time travelling advertising executive Tony Grisoni in the film a decade ago, when it was titled The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

A series of disasters, including financial problems and the destruction of sets, shelved production of the oddball epic, and now the Pirates of the Caribbean star has been forced to bow out, citing scheduling conflicts.

Gilliam has announced McGregor will take on the Grisoni role, opposite Robert Duvall as Quixote, stating, "There's a lot of colours to Ewan that he's not been showing recently and it's time for him to show them again.

"He's got a great sense of humour and he's a wonderful actor. He's wonderfully boyish and can be charming - when he flashes a smile, everybody melts. He wields it like a nuclear bomb!"

He's not the only replacement in the film - French actor Jean Rochefort was originally cast as Quixote.

The early disasters that crippled the film were chronicled in the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha.

Johnny Depp Dead in Car Crash Hoax

Johnny Depp is the victim of a malicious hoax that has been churning on the internet overnight. A fake CNN webpage declared that the actor died after a fatal car crash – see larger photo below.

The accident was to have taken place in Bordeaux, France and a photo shows a vehicle alongside a road with a guardrail deeply embedded inside the passenger area. The accompanying headline states that alcohol was most likely involved.

The rumors started on Twitter and gained steam when a URL on the web hosting service www.angelfire.com showed the fake CNN webpage, which was so detailed that you could click on the CNN logo and end up at CNN’s home page – as seen screen shot below. No word on who perpetrated the hoax or why.

The good news is that Depp is very much alive, according to SF Gate. They report that actor Crispin Glover promptly dialed him up on his cell and heard it right from Johnny’s mouth: ‘No, not dead’.

Depp was named People magazine’s Sexiest Man of 2009. He was declared the most stylish man in the latest cover of GQ magazine.

Johnny Depp to Star in Fourth ‘Pirates’ Movie

Captain Jack Sparrow will be sailing the high seas again, this time in search of the coveted Fountain of Youth.

The fourth installment of Disney’s extremely successful “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise is set to begin filming this summer in Hawaii. The film will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Rob Marshall and sails into theaters May 20, 2011.

Johnny Depp is returning as the flamboyant Captain Jack in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” Geoffrey Rush will once again play Sparrow’s adversary, Barbossa; costars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are not expected to return.

The film’s story is loosely based on the 1987 pirate novel ”On Stranger Tides” written by Tim Powers.

Ted Elliott, co-writer of the first three “Pirates” movies, said that the story of the novel just happened to align with where they wanted to take the fourth film. He told Empire magazine, “We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth… it just turns out that to do that story you would need that book.”

Depp will reportedly receive $33.6 million for his fourth adventure as the swashbuckling Sparrow.

Johnny Depp Heads Up GQ’s Picks For Most Stylish Guys On The Planet

Johnny Depp appears smiling, tattooed, and bare-chested on the cover of February’s GQ, and even unclothed, makes the magazine’s list of the 25 most stylish men in the world for 2010.

In the accompanying article, Barney’s creative director Simon Doonan sums up why, explaining, “Johnny Depp’s a unicorn—a really glamorous, one-of-a-kind eccentric. He wears great man jewelry. He doesn’t shy away from color. He’s always peeking through his amazing hair. It doesn’t matter if Johnny Depp’s lying in a ditch—he’s always going to look incredible.”

Despite their completely divergent aesthetics, fellow Brits Robert Pattinson, Russell Brand, and David Beckham all share the style honors, along with Brad Pitt, Jay-Z and Clint Eastwood, who received a special accolade as “Hall of Famer.”

The February issue of GQ hits newsstands nationwide on January 26th, but in the meantime, head to http://www.gq.com/ for more and vote for your pick for most stylish guy.

Sandra Bullock is Top Star of 2009 Box Office

In the eyes of U.S. movie theater owners, Sandra Bullock shined as 2009's top Hollywood star at the boxoffice, as the actress scored with audiences after a two-year absence from screens.

Quigley Publishing Co.'s annual list released on Thursday of top money making stars, based on a poll of hundreds of theater executives, had Bullock beat out such stars as George Clooney and Denzel Washington, on the strength of her roles in "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side."

Romantic comedy "The Proposal" made $315 million at worldwide boxoffices after its June release, and football drama "The Blind Side" has made $193 million only in the U.S. and Canada since its Nov. 20 release, with its rollout in other countries still to come.

Bullock, who also starred in the 2009 comedy "All About Steve" with its $34 million take in the U.S. and Canada, is the eighth woman to top Quigley's list of top money-making stars, which the company has put out each year since 1932.

Quigley Publishing said the list does not rank stars only on how much cash their films made, but on what theater owners say about who attracts audiences on their star power alone.

For instance, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was the top movie at U.S. and Canada boxoffices in 2009 with more than $400 million, but many in Hollywood attribute that to the appeal of the franchise itself and the toys it's based on.

The last woman to top Quigley's list was Julia Roberts in 1999. She failed to make Quigley's 2009 top 10 this year, after her turn in romantic comedy "Duplicity" bombed at the boxoffice.

Bullock scored her first smash hit with 1994 action movie "Speed" and became one of Hollywood's biggest stars, but before "The Proposal" she had not starred in a film since 2007.

"Public Enemies" star Johnny Depp came in at No. 2 on Quigley's top 10 list, followed by Matt Damon, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf and Denzel Washington.

Movie Trailer: "Alice in Wonderland"

Disney has released a new full-length trailer for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

The second trailer gives us more of a glimpse into Wonderland and the characters there than the first trailer released over the summer.

Fasten your seatbelts, because Burton’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale looks like quite the ride.

The film, which stars Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice, hits theaters on March 5, 2010.

Johnny Depp is One of Entertainment Weekly’s Favorite Entertainers of the Decade

Johnny Depp sizzles on the cover of EW’s Best of the Decade issue, on newsstands December 7th.

The 46-year-old actor was chosen by EW as one of the mag’s fifteen favorite entertainers of the decade! Also on the list are Tina Fey, Beyonce and Jon Stewart.

Also in the issue, the 100 greatest movies, TV shows, albums, books, characters and more from the past decade, Stephen King’s favorite TV shows of 2009 and five things that shocked Adam Lambert.

Don’t miss the decade wrap-up in EW, on newsstands this Monday or online at www.EW.com.

People's Sexiest Man Alive: Johnny Depp

Break out the Bordeaux, the whoopee cushions and the bangin' Keith Richards guitar solos, because the 2009 Sexiest Man Alive party is officially under way.

Bringing the fun with him wherever he goes – whether it's onscreen in fizzy roles like Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise or at home with his family on their private Bahamian island – is just one reason why Johnny Depp, who also scored the honor in 2003, has joined an elite club of two-time SMA title holders (only Brad Pitt and George Clooney have matched the feat).

At 46, the father of two still reigns as Hollywood's most irresistible iconoclast; as one-of-a-kind as his beloved 15-year-old boots and as smoldering as his favorite Cuban cigars.

"Johnny Depp has magical powers. He's unlike anyone else,” says actress Isla Fisher, who's married to Sacha Baron Cohen. "He’s funny, generous and clever. It’s just a shame he’s so hard on the eyes."

For much more on Depp and 109 other sexy stars, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newstands now.

Trailer - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Before his untimely death in January 2008, Heath Ledger was filming what would become his last role, Tony in the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day. It tells the story of Dr. Parnassus, played by Christopher Plummer, and his extraordinary ‘Imaginarium', a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom.

Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick.

When Heath passed away, the film was still in production, with several scenes to be completed. Director Terry Gilliam decided to transform Tony in the movie by using Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell as the character 'Imaginarium Tony' after Heath Ledger's untimely death.

Here's the official trailer:

Colin Farrell to Replace Johnny Depp as Quixote?

Colin Farrell has been tipped to take the lead role in a movie about Spanish literary hero Don Quixote after Johnny Depp pulled out due to scheduling conflicts.

Director Terry Gilliam lined up Depp in 2000 to star as advertising executive Tony Grisoni in the movie, originally entitled The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

A series of disasters delayed production of the oddball epic, prompting the Pirates of the Caribbean actor to bow out.

Now the 68-year-old film-maker is said to be eyeing Irish actor Farrell as a possible replacement as he finally gears up to begin filming next year.

A source tells Britain's Daily Express, "Terry is a fan of Colin and it's felt he's one of the few people capable of filling Johnny's shoes."

Both Depp and Farrell were among the stars who stepped in to help Gilliam complete his 2009 adventure The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus after its star Heath Ledger passed away last year.

Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" Trailer

Disney has released the first Alice in Wonderland trailer, giving us a sneak peek of the highly anticipated film directed by Tim Burton.



Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and 19-year-old newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

Alice in Wonderland is scheduled for release on March 5, 2010.

Johnny Depp's Female Fantasy Film Role

Johnny Depp has his eye on a gender-bending movie role - he would love to portray singer/actress Carol Channing in a biopic.

The character actor has regularly donned a series of bizarre outfits for his films, and even dressed up as a woman for his starring part in 1994 comedy Ed Wood.

And he's determined to go even further with a future role - by playing 88-year-old Channing.

He says, "My dream role would be to play musical legend Carol Channing in a biopic of her life. I love her, I really do, she's amazing.

"With all the digital technology these days, I could probably pull it off!"

Johnny Depp is The Mad Hatter

Check out this sneak peek look of Johnny Depp as the trippy Mad Hatter from the Tim Burton-directed remake of Alice in Wonderland.

Below is Burton’s wife, Helena Bonham Carter, with a digitally enhanced swelled head to play the domineering Red Queen, who likes nothing better than to scream “Off with their heads!” Thanks, USA Today!

The movie is scheduled to be released on March 5, 2010.

Pictures courtesy of: www.JustJared.com

Sir Michael Caine: 'Batman Will Battle The Riddler'

Batman will take on villain The Riddler in the next instalment of the superhero franchise, according to the Caped Crusader's butler Sir Michael Caine.

The British star of both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight has let it slip that his movie boss' next foe will "probably be The Riddler" - a role made famous on screen by Jim Carrey in 1995's Batman Forever and on TV by Frank Gorshin, who died in 2005.

Johnny Depp and Eddie Murphy are both in the frame for the role, according to Hollywood gossips.

Caine has no idea who will be cast, but is hoping for a performance to rival Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Caine tells People.com, "I thought it (The Joker character) was going to be a tough job for anyone who played the role after Jack Nicholson (in 1989's Batman). Now Heath is the Joker."

Cosmopolitan Magazine Reports on the World's Sexiest Men

London, October 11 - He might be 45, but Johnny Depp still rules ladies' hearts, and a new survey justifies that.

According to a new poll, the Hollywood hunk has been voted as the world's sexiest man.

The ''World''s Sexiest Men'' survey, headed by Cosmopolitan Magazine has revealed that the heartthrob snatched the top spot leaving behind George Clooney to nab the second place - both in their 40's.

However, following in third place was Jake Gyllenhaal, who's just in his 27th year.

Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt, who are in their 40s took away the fourth and the fifth rank, respectively.

Interestingly, only three men in their 20 somethings made it to the Top 25 list, namely, ''Brokeback Mountain'' star Jake Gyllenhaal, British actor James McAvoy who came in No. 6 while singer Justin Timberlake at No. 7.

The survey featured singer-actor Will Smith bagging the 8th spot, followed by ace-footballer David Beckham and actor Wentworth Miller.

"Both George Clooney and Johnny Depp just keep getting better with age," the Daily Star quoted Lizzi Hosking of ''Cosmopolitan'' as saying.

The top 25 hunks are:
1. Johnny Depp, 45
2. George Clooney, 47
3. Jake Gyllenhaal, 27
4. Daniel Craig, 40
5. Brad Pitt, 44
6. James McAvoy, 29
7. JustinTimberlake, 27
8. Will Smith, 40
9. David Beckham, 33
10. Wentworth Miller, 36
11. Christian Bale, 34
12. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 31
13. Take That: Gary Barlow, 37, Mark Owen, 36, Howard Donald, 40 and Jason Orange, 38
14. Ashton Kutcher, 30
15. Dermot O'Leary, 35
16. David Tennant, 37
17. Patrick Dempsey, 42
18. Clive Owen, 44
19. Pierce Brosnan, 55
20. Mark Ronson, 33
21. Gordon Ramsay, 41
22. Russell Brand, 33
23. Pharrell Williams, 35
24. Ryan Reynolds, 31
25. Olivier Martinez, 42