Johnny Depp teams up with Gore Verbinski for ‘Rango’

By Patrick Luce Sep 10, 2008, 11:17 GMT

US actor Johnny Depp arrives at Venice\'s Cinema Palace where US director Tim Burton was awareded with the Golden Lion for his lifetime achievements at the 64th International Exhibition of Cinema Art, better known as Venice Film Festival, on 05 September 2007. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI

Johnny Depp has signed to team with his "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski for the animated film "Rango" – which will be financed and distributed by Paramount. The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters in March, 2011.

Variety reports Depp will handle the voice work for the lead character – a household pet on an adventure to find its true self.

The film features a script from John Logan ("The Aviator") from an idea by Verbinski (who worked with Industrial Light & Magic on the film’s CG animation).

Verbinski’s Blind Wink Prods. will handle producing duties on the film with Graham King and John Carls. Paramount’s Nickelodeon Films is expected to have a role in the film’s production.

Verbinski will reportedly direct "Rango" while he develops the big screen adaptation of the hit Take-Two video game "Bioshock" for Universal – which also features a screenplay by Logan. Depp is scheduled to start his work on “Rango” in January.

In Variety, Verbinski stated "Rango" animation techniques "will allow us to capture and translate every aspect of Johnny’s performance, using it to drive the computer-generated character in a way that has yet to be seen in an animated feature."

The director worked with ILM to bring his octopus-faced Davy Jones character to life in the second and third "Pirates of the Caribbean" film.