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BLACK MASS: Johnny Depp cast in Mobster Film, Tom Hardy May Follow

Whitney Bulger Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp cast in Black Mass. The casting of Johnny Depp in Black Mass answers the question of who will star in the Scott Cooper directed film. Johnny Depp will play real-life Boston mob kingpin Whitney Bulger. Tom Hardy is rumored to play Bulger’s FBI handler John Connolly.

On the people behind the scenes of Black Mass:

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The script is by Mark Mallouk, who adapted the 2001 Dick Lehr/Gerald O’Neill New York Times bestseller Black Mass: The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI And The Irish Mob.

Black Mass is being produced by Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson, John Lesher and his LeGrisbi banner…they will be joined by Christi Dembrowski, Depp’s partner in Infinitum Nihil. Exclusive Media’s Tobin Armbrust, President of Worldwide Production and Acquisitions, and Cross Creek Pictures SVP Production Adam Kassan will oversee production.

On the true story behind Black Mass:

Even as he was masterminding a violent gang – the federal case against him alleges 19 murders – Bulger was an FBI informant, a role he took on discreetly to take down a rival gang. But the tables were turned on him: After the feds closed in on their targets, they double-crossed Bulger and ultimately prosecuted him, along with his partner in crime and the original FBI agent working with him.

John Connolly, the FBI agent and childhood pal of Bulger, who is in prison for tipping Bulger that he was about to be indicted. That led Bulger to go from ruthless Boston crime kingpin to the top of the FBI’s most wanted list.

[Bulger] crimes were brutal long before he disappeared for a decade before finally getting caught in California in 2011 and sent to prison for the rest of his life. Many felt Bulger could never have gotten that far without the help of Connolly, an FBI agent and childhood pal of Bulger and his brother William, the former president of the Massachusetts Senate. Connolly was tasked with bringing down the Italian mob, and he was aided by Bulger, who burnished his own position as Boston crime kingpin by getting rid of the competition for his Winter Hill gang. Connolly was lauded for his work before things went south for him. He eventually was convicted of racketeering and obstruction of justice for aiding Bulger, who is currently in a Massachusetts state prison for second-degree murder.

Black Mass will begin production in May 2014.

Leave your thoughts on Johnny Depp’s casting in Black Mass in the comments section below. For more Black Mass photos, videos, and information, visit our Black Mass Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” us on Facebook. Black Mass has no US theaters release date.

Source: Deadline

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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