Film News: Johnny Depp Looking to Play Dr. Seuss in New Biopic

Submitted by TimBMartens on October 7, 2011 - 8:01am

CHICAGO – He has played eccentric characters like The Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka, and Captain Jack Sparrow. He has played disturbed and troubled characters like Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, and Ichabod Crane. He has even played famous real life characters in Ed Wood, John Dillinger, and JM Barrie. Now, Johnny Depp is looking to add another classic character to that list.

Empire reported this morning that Johnny Depp has been looking to bring Dr. Seuss to life in a new biopic that he would star in as the famous children’s author. The film is rumored to be developed as live action, focusing more on Seuss (real name Theodor Geisel) than his literary works. This could mean the film will not include much of the crazy characters and worlds Seuss created in his books, but a scene or two including this may not be out of the question either.

Much like Depp’s role as JM Barrie in the 2004 film “Finding Neverland,” Depp is looking to take on the role of the man behind the classic works. Many of Dr. Seuss stories have been developed into films already, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” “The Cat in the Hat” and “Horton Hears a Who” to name a few, but Depp is looking to go into the private and personal life of Seuss/Geisel (much like playing JM Barrie in a film after Peter Pan had been made into multiple films).

Geisel lived from 1904 to 1991 and wrote 46 different children’s books during his life. Other than the stories already mention, Dr. Seuss was the man behind Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, There’s a Wocket in My Pocket!, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. His works have been read over generations of children and his birthday, March 2, has been declared National Read Across America Day.

The bio-pic about Seuss would star Depp, who would also produce via his company Infinitum Nihil, and is currently being written by Keith Bunin (“In Treatment”).