Johnny Depp to Produce Adaptation of “The Master and Margarita”

According to Cinemadrame News Agency, Johnny Depp will serve as a producer, overseeing the first English-language film adaptation of the novel “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Depp confirmed the project’s production this Wednesday at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. While the screenwriter has not yet been announced, Deadline reports that Depp is currently not expected to star in the film.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star will produce the project through his company, IN.2 Film, alongside Stephen Deuters and Stephen Malit. Svetlana Dali, who previously collaborated with Depp on Jeanne du Barry and Modì: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, will also serve as a producer.

Written in the 1930s under Stalin’s regime, The Master and Margarita was not permitted for publication until decades after Bulgakov’s death. Considered one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century, the story oscillates between 1930s Moscow—where the Devil arrives with his talking cat—and Jerusalem during the era of Pontius Pilate. The novel weaves a satirical and fantastical tale of love, artistic freedom, and the eternal struggle between good and evil, following a writer known as “The Master” and his lover, Margarita, who strives to save him from a totalitarian state.

The Master and Margarita has been translated into over 40 languages, including Persian, and has inspired generations of artists, including The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Federico Fellini.

Since his legal victory over ex-wife Amber Heard in Virginia, Depp has appeared on-screen sparingly. However, negotiations with Disney for his return to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise have been confirmed. He recently wrapped filming on “Day Drinker” alongside Penélope Cruz and is set to star in Paramount’s “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol,” directed by Ti West.