Fresh from receiving a custom piece of artwork showing his fan-favorite character Captain Jack Sparrow in the style of One Piece drawn by the anime’s creator, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp is set to produce and potentially star in an English-language adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita.
The film does not currently have a director attached, but will be produced by Depp’s IN.2 Film alongside producers from Jeanne du Barry, the 2023 film he starred in. The project was announced at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival and is expected to go into production in late 2026, according to Variety.
This is the most recent output in the collaboration between Depp and producer Svetlana Dali, who will work alongside producer Grace Loh on this project, which will be produced in association with Tribune Pictures. Dali has executive produced the Depp-starring film Jeanne du Barry, and his directorial effort Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness.
An official synopsis for the film, which is based on Bulgakov’s posthumous novel published in the 1960s, reads: “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.”
It continues: “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.”
Casting will be announced at a later date, specifically whether or not Depp will actually star in the project. As far as an expected release date, there isn’t any news there just yet, but it appears to be sometime in 2027.
After a number of years away from the spotlight following his high-profile legal issues with former wife Amber Heard, Depp has been linked to a string of projects as the actor seeks a career comeback. In October, it was reported that Depp would play Ebenezer Scrooge in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved A Christmas Carol for Paramount Pictures, due to release on November 13, 2026.
Assuming everything goes as planned, Depp’s role as Scrooge will be his first major booking since 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Depp has also said he’s working on creating the character of Hyde for a new graphic novel with Ridley Scott, and will next be seen in cinemas alongside Penélope Cruz in Lionsgate’s American action thriller Day Drinker, which carries a 2026 release date.
But, of course, it’s Depp’s iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean which fans are most keen to whether the actor will reprise. And, as long-gestating plans for a sixth entry in the swashbuckling blockbuster series finally begin to materialize, there’s fresh signs that Depp could return.
Back in August, producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed he had spoken to Depp about returning as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 — and it sounded like the actor was interested. “If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it,” Bruckheimer said. “It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know.”
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
