Johnny Depp in ’21 Jump Street’ remake? Film’s star says it’s a real possibility
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Of all the things that could make the new Jonah Hill-Channing Tatum ’21 Jump Street’ appealing, a walk-on part for Johnny Depp would pretty much top the list. The star made the TV series, and the series the star. And though Depp parted ways with the Stephen Cannell production four seasons in, he’s still forever associated with it.
A Depp cameo may be no teenage dream. In an interview, Tatum says that filmmakers and stars are actively trying to get the actor for a cameo. ‘I really hope he does it. It would mean the world to us and I think everyone wants to see him do it.’ Tatum told 24 Frames. ‘And he’s enough of a madman to do it.’ (Depp has in the past acknowledged he’d be open but has not confirmed any serious talks.)
Tatum, speaking on behalf of his new swords-and-sandals adventure ‘The Eagle’ (more on the actor in that shortly) says that the new ‘Jump Street’ doesn’t quite take the same tack as the Fox show, in which we were supposed to believe that the young officers were actually accepted as part of a high-school or college clique in a given episode. ‘This is more like ‘Back to the Future,’ ‘ Tatum said. ‘You get to go back and relive your high-school life.’
As for the characters he and Hill are playing, Tatum says all is not as you’d expect. ‘It’s a total reversal. Jonah’s the cool one and I’m the loser,’ he said of the movie, which begins shooting this spring with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
The plot concerns a new drug that has run rampant at a high school, and Tatum and Hill are tasked with cutting it off at the source. The film contains a dose of what Tatum called ‘fantasy’ moments, as well as generally outrageous comedy.
‘I’ve never read a script that I’m like, ‘How are they letting us do this?’’ Tatum said. I don’t even mean the censoring board. I’m like, ‘No, I can’t believe they’re going to put this in a movie.’ It’s freaking ridiculous.’
--Steven Zeitchik
