Exclusive: The Ninth Gate Remake In Development, Johnny Depp Producing
He isn’t working as much in front of the camera these days, but he may start working more behind it. Our trusted and proven sources tell us Sony Pictures is reimagining the 1999 neo-noir thriller The Ninth Gate. Johnny Depp is attached to produce with no word yet on whether or not he will take a screen role in the feature.
We’ve exclusively learned Sony is remaking The Ninth Gate, with Johnny Depp attached to produce.
While our sources describe this as a reimagining of The Ninth Gate, what we know so far does sound similar to the original. Like the 1999 version, the lead will be a rare book dealer authenticating a cursed manuscript. His quest to verify the text leads him into a world of dark rituals and forbidden knowledge.
Based partly on the 1993 Arturo Pérez-Reverte novel The Club Dumas, The Ninth Gate hit theaters in 1999 with Johnny Depp in the lead role of book dealer Dean Corso. The film hit theaters the same year Depp appeared in The Astronaut’s Wife and Sleepy Hollow, but outside any narrative or artistic questions, the biggest difference between those films and The Ninth Gate was who directed the latter: it was helmed by controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski.
There’s no word on whether or not Polanski will be at all involved in the reboot, but considering what Johnny Depp has weathered since making The Ninth Gate, it’s tempting to attach a bit of defiant intent to his involvement.
Polanski’s troubles started long before he directed The Ninth Gate and way before the term “cancel culture” was even a thing.
Since his ex-wife Amber Heard’s allegations against him crippled his career, Depp has been outspoken about the harm of so-called “cancel culture,” something one might argue is responsible for similar damage to the career of Polanski. Considering this, it’s interesting that out of all of his past work, it’s a Polanski film the former Pirates of the Caribbean star is helping to remake.
Not to mention that as Digital Spy and others reported back in 2010, even before Johnny Depp was blacklisted in Hollywood, fans were criticizing him for coming out in defense of the director of The Ninth Gate.
The part of collector Boris Balkan might be a more appropriate spot for Depp in the remake. Balkan is Corso’s wealthy client who was played by Frank Langella in the original.
Of course, Polanski’s troubles started long before he directed The Ninth Gate and way before the term “cancel culture” was even a thing. In 1977 he pled to a lesser charge after allegedly drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.
Public attention to Polanski’s crimes seemed to ebb and flow over the years, finally coming to a head with the #MeToo movement, at which point even more allegations had surfaced against him. In 2018 he was ejected from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, after which he unsuccessfully sued to be allowed back in.
As for Polanski’s old collaborator, if Johnny Depp does decide to appear in The Ninth Gate remake, it seems doubtful he would reprise his role as Dean Corso. The part of collector Boris Balkan might be a more appropriate spot for Depp in the remake. Balkan is Corso’s wealthy client who was played by Frank Langella in the original.
Once we know more about the reboot of The Ninth Gate, we’ll be quick to update you.
