Contrary to recent speculation that Johnny Depp’s casting in Black Mass might disrupt his participation in Transcendence, the star’s representatives confirmed on Wednesday [27] that he is on board both projects, which are already well known to international buyers.

Transcendence marks the feature directorial debut of Christopher Nolan’s cinematographer Wally Pfister and will begin principal photography in April. Lionsgate kicked off international sales at AFM on the Alcon Entertainment project and Warner Bros will distribute in North America.

Alcon’s Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove will produce alongside Straight Up Films’ Annie Marter, Marisa Polvino and Kate Cohen plus David Valdes. Nolan and Emma Thomas serve as executive producers. Plot details remain under the proverbial wraps.

After Transcendence, Depp will commence the early summer shoot of Exclusive Media and Cross Creek Pictures’ crime thriller Black Mass, which Exclusive Media introduced to buyers at the EFM in Berlin earlier this month.

Depp will star as Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger. Barry Levinson directs from a new draft by Jez Butterworth based on the screenplay by Mark Mallouk. Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson produce with John Lesher through his Le Grisbi Productions and Nigel Sinclair and Guy East’s Exclusive Media.

Depp will be seen this summer in Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger for Disney, set to open on July 3.

UTA and Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal Laviolette Feldman Schenkman & Goodman represent Depp.

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