Johnny Depp.___________
Depp May Rock You
Johnny Depp's performance as a fey swashbuckler in Pirates of the Caribbean was apparently modeled after the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, so don't be surprised if the Oscar nominee goes one step further and plays an actual rocker. And indeed, word has it that Depp is the leading contender to play Freddie Mercury in a new biopic of the gay Queen frontman, who died in 1991 from AIDS-related complications. Robert De Niro's Tribeca Productions is said to be behind the film, which makes sense since De Niro was a major backer of We Will Rock You, the stage musical featuring Queen songs that was a hit in London and Las Vegas. It will be interesting to see if Depp can handle the vocals on "Bohemian Rhapsody," but at least we already know he looks awesome in eyeliner.
Bryan Singer to Americanize Footballers' Wives
American networks have had a mixed record trying to remake shows from Britain. Sure, you love The Office, but does anyone remember Coupling or Men Behaving Badly? ABC has reached across the pond for the hit BBC soap Footballers' Wives - which attracted a gay following on BBC America - and it looks like gay filmmaker Bryan Singer will take a breather from Superman movies to direct the new pilot. The original Footballers' Wives featured the usual mix of greed, deception, skullduggery, and slutty, sequined dresses, with some hot gay jock-on-jock action thrown in for good measure. No word yet as to how queer the U.S. version will be, but we know of one definite change - the title will switch to Football Wives and revolve around NFL spouses and not soccer.
Bret Easton Ellis Explores Canyons
Bret Easton Ellis' novels ( including Less Than Zero and American Psycho ) have featured gay and bisexual characters, but the novelist himself didn't come out until after the publication of 2005's Lunar Park. So what better place than Showtime - the network that gave us Queer as Folk and The L Word - for Ellis to make his debut as a TV series creator? The cable network has ordered a script for The Canyons, a horror-flavored soap opera created by Ellis, about a party-boy magazine editor who leaves his Manhattan lifestyle behind when he moves cross-country to Los Angeles with his best friend, only to find himself abandoned in a new city when the friend dies. No word yet as to whether or not The Canyons will live or die in L.A.
Angelina and Rupert Are Feeling Animated
With the success of Cars and Happy Feet, it looks like the phenomenon of computer-animated feature films with a slew of celebrity voices isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But there are definitely some performances Romeo can't wait to check out in the next year or two. Amy Sedaris, best known as Strangers with Candy's bisexual ex-junkie whore, joins a returning Rupert Everett in Shrek 3, while Sexiest Bisexual on Earth Angelina Jolie lends her pipes to Kung Fu Panda, where she'll play - and how perfect is this? - a tigress. Those Talladega Nights gay lovers, Sacha Baron Cohen and Andy Richter, reunite for Madagascar 2, while Will & Grace's Megan Mullally and lesbian icon Kathy Bates will help to create buzz for Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie. And you thought Disney's vintage evil queens were the last word in queer cartooning.
Romeo San Vicente only sees animated movies late at night—the better to avoid sharing a theater with children. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com .