Johnny Depp is finally stepping back into the limelight with a major new project on the way. The actor is set to produce the first-ever English-language adaptation of the novel The Master and Margarita, by author Mikhail Bulgakov. 

Depp shared the news while appearing at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. Written between 1928 and 1940, the novel has inspired several adaptations over the years. Most recently, a Russian-language film version was released in 2024. 

Despite the film’s Russian-American director, Michael Lockshin's efforts to swing it across borders and preferably onto Netflix, it keeps getting entangled in Johny Depp's claws.

The Russian adaptation of The Master and Margarita, which became an instant hit in the region, is facing a huge hurdle to secure the release rights in English-speaking territories, as revealed by Michael Lockshin to The Hollywood Reporter. Moreover, there is still no confirmed Netflix deal. 

As of the current situation, director Lockshin and Luminosity Pictures are locked in a legal battle with Johnny Depp’s co-producers, Svetlana Migunova-Dali and Grace Loh. The matter is taken to the U.S. Central District Court in California.

Lockshin, in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, explained that Depp’s co-producers for his recently unveiled The Master and Margerita project, claim they have the rights to create their own English-language adaptation of the novel, and have blocked the Russian version from reaching English-speaking audiences. While Lockshin finds it confusing, he has continued the legal battle.

As the legal fight rages on, the movie has reportedly already been released in Italy, Germany, and Austria this year. Lockshin believes that a U.S. release could help build hype for the upcoming English adaptation. 

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And as for Depp’s involvement, Lockshin thinks the actor may not be fully aware of the ongoing legal drama.

Michael Lockshin believes that the Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp might not even be aware that his movie, The Master and Margarita, is blocked. He thinks that Depp, as an artist, would not allow that to happen.

“My speculation would be that he (Depp) doesn’t know about this, and that, if he knows about it and when he finds out, like any artist working in film, he would be against it,” he said in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. “Because you don’t ban a movie from coming out. This is not what the artist spirit is about.”

Both sides remain firmly entrenched in their positions, and a resolution does not seem to be happening anytime soon. However, Lockshin is hopeful that the film will eventually reach audiences worldwide, including those in the U.S. He admits it has been a long battle but says he is determined to fight until the very end.

It could be a good addition to Netflix’s list of fantasy movies. Whether the Russian version hits theaters and streaming platforms before the English adaptation will be a hot topic in the months to come. 

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Are you excited to see the Russian adaptation of The Master and Margarita ? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!