Johnny Depp Eying Dr. Seuss Biopic

It's been quite a week for Johnny Depp, from confessing to a willingness to do crappy movies for "stupid money," to having to apologize for comparing photo shoots to rape... And now this! A possible biopic about the greatest children's writer of the 20th Century.

Depp is producing a film about the life of Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Keith Bunin of "In Treatment" is writing the screenplay.

Geisel was a genius, penning classics like "The Cat in the Hat", "The 500 Hundred Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins", "The Lorax" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Like all great art for kids, it's not until you read them again as an adult that you can truly appreciate what the man was doing. In addition to his kids' books, Geisel also did advertising, worked for the Army, drew erotica and wrote poetry. He was also, despite his Lefty politics, a supporter of the internment of Japanese-Americans during WW II, saying, "We can get palsy-walsy afterward with those that are left." Should make for an interesting film.

Considering Depp's recent track record, this is cause for great concern. Yes, he was great in "Finding Neverland, "as J.M Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. But of late his career has been mostly a string of "Pirates" movies and formulaic Tim Burton films.So we don't know what to expect, but word is that the film will be a live-action affair, as opposed to an effects-driven spectacle, so that gives us hope.

But then consider his recent confession that he accepts roles for the money:

“Basically, if they’re going to pay me the stupid money right now, I’m going to take it,” he told Vanity Fair. But lest you think he's some moneygrubber, you should know that he's doing it for the kids.

“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.”

Dude must have a lot of kids we don't know about. He also took some heat for saying in the same piece that photo shoots make you "feel like you’re being raped somehow." He did at least offer a "heartfelt apology" for that one.

Depp can next be seen Oct. 28 in "The Rum Dairy," based on an early novel by Hunter S. Thompson about a young journalist living in Puerto Rico in the '50s

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