Johnny Depp Has 95 Million Reasons to Play Jack Sparrow Again

(Photo: Bauer Griffin)

In today's movie news, the Pirates franchise gets bigger, as does Johnny Depp's paycheck. Plus, we've got details on what's next for Oscar nominees Anne Hathaway and Bradley Cooper, Amanda Seyfried's porn movie, what's new on DVD, and more.

Johnny Depp Dusts Off His Pirate Hat, Opens His WalletGood news for people who like their Johnny Depp with eyeliner and unwashed hair, he's back for yet another Pirates of the Caribbean movie! While fans of drunken swashbuckling can rejoice, the real good news is for Depp, who stands to make an absurd amount of money for playing Jack Sparrow once again.

Thanks to a backend deal that cuts Depp in on a percentage of the Pirates booty, he's already made upwards of $350 million on the first four films, which means he's on pace to make roughly $95 million for number 5.

Depp, who was once lauded for basing his career on only what he felt passionately about, has changed his tune in the later half as he's gotten older. But, as he'll tell you, he does it for the kids: "Basically, if they're going to pay me the stupid money right now, I'm going to take it... I have to. I mean, it's not for me. Do you know what I mean? At this point, it's for my kids. It's ridiculous, yeah, yeah. But ultimately is it for me? No. No. It's for the kids."

Disney also announced the fifth Pirates film has been slated for a July 10, 2015 release date, and Tower Heist scribe Jeff Nathanson has been tasked with penning the script (obviously for much, much less money than Depp.)

Anne Hathaway Goes ShakespearianAnne Hathaway's turn in Les Miserables earned her a Golden Globe and and Academy Awards nomination, so it shouldn't come as a surprise she's willing to jump back into classic literature for her next role. According to the Wrap, Hathaway is circling a semi-modern adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Shame and The Iron Lady writer Abi Morgan developed the script, which is set in post-WWII Italy. The period change offers a different take on the play about a mercurial woman who is "tamed" into domestication, although it's probably safe to assume this version won't play as fast and loose with Shrew as 10 Things I Hate About You did.First Look: Amanda Seyfried Has Her Own Boogie NightsGoing from a lovesick, singing orphan in revolutionary France to one of the most famous porn stars of all time, it's safe to say Amanda Seyfried has range. Courtesy of EW, we have our first look at the latter Seyfried as Linda Lovelace about to do X-rated things to a John Holmes looking fellow. Lovelace starts its festival run at Sundance later this month, with a wide release (no pun intended) later in the year.Bradley Cooper, Spy HunterAn Oscar nom will do wonders for your sway in Hollywood. Just as Bradley Cooper, who pushed Warner Bros. to acquire the rights to the upcoming Howard Blum book, Dark Invasion. Cooper will produce the film adaptation under his 22nd & Indiana company, and star in the true story about German spies sent to the U.S. to covertly sabotage American efforts to help the Allies during WWI. Cooper will play the NYPD captain in charge of establishing the team assigned with bringing the German operatives to justice. Dark Invasion the book hits shelves on September 11, while the film is set for a 2014 release. [via Deadline]Wanna See Winnie Cooper Go Beast Hunting with a Flame Thrower?Of course you do. Following the tradition of such canonical masterpieces like Sharktopus and Piranhaconda, the SyFy channel brings us Tasmanian Devils, starring Danic! a McKella! r, far from the suburban world of The Wonder Years. Like most SyFy originals, Tasmanian Devils is a gory, self-aware celebration of schlock. In just the trailer Olympic Gold Medalist Apolo Ohno gets impaled, a guy's face gets ripped off, and, of course, a torch-wielding Winnie Cooper destroys a bunch mutant tazzies. You can only imagine what kind of awesomeness the full movie will have in store when it premieres on January 19.Jesse Eisenberg's Refusal to Watch Himself Proves ProblematicLike a bunch of his colleagues, Jesse Eisenberg has a hard time watching himself onscreen. It's never been an issue until he worked with his idol, Woody Allen, on To Rome With Love. As he told IndieWire, things didn't add up:

"He's made my favorite movies. I kind of stopped watching movies a long time ago, and I would keep watching his secretly. He's really the only person I liked for the breadth of their careers and that I can follow. So it was a little strange, because at the same time, I aggressively avoid things that I'm in. So it was a little strange in that way, because this film bore into to the column of ! things th! at I'm in. I was trying to avoid it. I don't like seeing the movie or the pictures from the movie. I don't like looking at my stuff. I was disappointed in a way, because I knew I'd have to avoid it [laughs]."

Joss Whedon Was Too Busy to Do Star Wars VII (Even Though He Wanted To)Disney's rush to milk their Lucas Film acquisition for all it's worth has ruled out yet another top-flight director. After Guillermo del Toro revealed he had too much going on to shoot Episode VIII, Avengers director and cult hero Joss Whedon did the same. In an interview with CNN, Whedon admitted he was bummed about having to pass up the opportunity: "I'm as angry as you should be. When I heard that I was like, 'I wonder... no, I really can't do that. Oh, I already have a job.' I wouldn't clear the Avengers. I'm having so much fun with that sequel right now, just with the script, that I couldn't imagine not doing it."The Week in Home ViewingNicole Kidman pees on Zac Efron in The Paperboy, out on DVD/Blu-ray this week. The performance scored her a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actress, and now you can watch the golden scene in vibrant HD. Another option is the hilarious Woody Allen classic Sleeper. Or, if you'd rather deplete your Kleenex supply, you could buy a few pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and scoop up the Collector's Edition ofThe Notebook.

• Taken 2
• The Paperboy
• The Notebook (Ultimate Collector's Edition)
• Sleeper
• The Tin Drum
• To Rome with Love
• The Possession
• Merlin: The Complete Fourth Season
• I Am Bruce Lee

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