jul 12, 2013 - VARIETY Johnny Depp INFINITUM NIHIL Moved To DISNEY

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Johnny Depp’s already Disney’s go-to guy for tentpoles. Now the Mouse House has made room for the thesp’s production banner Infinitum Nihil.

Under a new multi-year first-look deal, Depp will develop film projects he can produce at the studio, expanding his relationship with Disney, for whom he will star in the adaptation of the “Into the Woods” musical and a fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” adventure.

Infinitum Nihil had previously been set up at Warner Bros., where the shingle produced Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn was instrumental in attracting Depp’s company to the lot, given his relationship with the thesp while the exec ran Warner Bros. Studios.

The deal with Warner Bros. expired in 2011, and the Disney deal was quietly brokered several months ago.

Depp formed the production entity in 2004 with his sister Christi Dembrowski, who serves as president of the company. “Rum Diary” was the first film to be produced through the shingle. FilmDistrict distributed the movie, based on the Hunter S. Thompson book.

Thesp is currently starring as Tonto in Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer’s “The Lone Ranger” and is set to return to the studio’s “Pirates” franchise with a fifth film set for release in 2015. Up first is “Into the Woods,” which Rob Marshall will helm, reuniting him with Depp. An “Alice in Wonderland” sequel is also in development at Disney.

Over the years, Depp has starred in four “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, “Alice in Wonderland,” “Ed Wood” and “The Lone Ranger” for Disney, which altogether, have grossed over $4.8 billion worldwide.

Depp is currently shooting Alcon Entertainment’s science-fiction actioner “Transcendence” for director Wally Pfister with Warner planning an April 18 release. He’s also in negotiations to star in crime drama “Mortdecai” for Lionsgate with David Koepp directing.

Thesp also recently got into the book business through Infinitum Nihil and a deal with publisher HarperCollins — no surprise given that Depp’s resume includes starring in 18 films that were based on books. First book to be published will be Douglas Brinkley’s “The Unraveled Tales of Bob Dylan,” out in 2015.

The Latin phrase “Infinitum nihil” essentially translates to “Nothing lasts forever.”

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