Depp to play crime lord

It's been announced by Cross Creek Pictures President Brian Oliver and Senior Vice President Tyler Thompson and Exclusive Media's Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East that Johnny Depp will be playing Boston crime lord and FBI informer Whitey Bulger in a new film to be directed by Barry Levinson.

'Black Mass', a Universal picture, details the exploits of Bulger who was incarcerated in 2011. Known as the most violent criminal boss of South Boston, he was a senator's brother who famously  joined forces with the FBI to defeat an invasion onto his turf by a Mafia family but ultimately fell foul of the law.

It was described by Brian Oliver as ''an examination of loyalty to family, Irish heritage, and South Boston''.

The film screenplay by writer Mark Mallouk is based on a book of the same title: 'Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob' written by ex-reporters Dick Lehr and Gerald O'Neill.

The film, with Levinson at the helm, is due to go into production this May. Depp is next scheduled to appear on screens as Tonto in  Gore Verbinski's 'Lone Ranger'.