Johnny Depp hasn’t appeared in too many franchises, but one 2015 flop looked like it could be his nextPirates of the Caribbean.Aside from his most famous role as Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp has also appeared in theFantastic Beastsfranchise as Grindelwald and two of Disney’s live-actionAlice in Wonderlandmovies as the Mad Hatter.
The majority ofJohnny Depp’s best movieshave been standalone films likeFear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Ed WoodandEdward Scissorhands.He seems to prefer trying new things to playing the same characters over and over again, and he’s known for taking some big swings with his performances.
Mortdecai Was A Huge Missed Opportunity For Johnny Depp
2015’sMortdecaishould have been Depp’s replacement for his role in thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise, but the crime comedy was a disappointing flop. It currently has a score of just 12% on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences only slightly more generous, giving it a Popcornmeter score of 31%.Mortdecaialso failed to recoup its $60 million budget at the box office.
Mortdecaiis a contender for the title of Depp’s worst movie, but it didn’t have to be this way. The story is based on a popular comedic novel by Kyril Bonfiglioli, andMortdecaicould have succeeded if it had stuck to the framework of the novel more closely. The movie makes plenty of big changes.
While Depp’s eccentric, over-the-top performance as cunning art dealer Charlie Mortdecai has been criticized, Paul Bettany is also woefully miscast as his tough sidekick Jock. Mortdecai and Jock are a hilarious duo on the page, but their dynamic never works in the movie.
Mortdecaimakes plenty of other big changes to Bonfiglioli’s work, most of which are misguided in some way. The story attempts to smash together elements of different novels, which means that it lacks cohesion and drive. This, coupled with the decision to pluck Mortdecai from his early ’70s setting and drop him in the 21st century, makes for a muddled adaptation.
Kyril Bonfiglioli’s Books Prove Mortdecai Could Have Been Johnny Depp’s Next Big Franchise
Bonfiglioli’s Novels Have Missed Their Shot At Becoming A Hollywood Franchise
IfMortdecaihad attempted to make a more faithful adaptation of the first book in Bonfiglioli’s series,Don’t Point that Thing at Me,a lot of its self-imposed problems would have been solved. This also would have setMortdecaiup as the start of a potential series for Depp. With his role inPirates of the Caribbean 6still up in the air, it’s unclear if he’ll ever get another big franchise.
TheMortdecaiseries consists of five books, including one prequel that follows one of Charlie’s ancestors. Depp’s performance might not have gone over well with critics, but his casting wasn’t a bad choice by any means. If things had played out slightly differently, he could have been a great Charlie, and he could have had a long and successful franchise withMortdecai.
