This was posted in our comments, by Mysi, about a day they met Johnny at St Anne during Public Enemies shooting. I’m posting here because I really wanted to you all read it.

I found out that morning that Johnny was supposed to be in St. Anne, and by 8:45 I was dressed (somewhat… clothes on inside out, but it’s not as if I was going to shag the man) and children loaded in the car. By 10 am, we had already saw him, and the kids were hyped! I sent them to a nearby friends house while I roasted like an idiot in the sun for hours holding our spot. Throughout the day, I spoke with his security people and they were all very nice, and honest about the likelyhood of meeting him at some point. In the evening, when they were done shooting, my son Leviathan asked one of the men, Danny if I remember right, when he was going to meet Willy Wonka. Danny told him that Johnny need to clean up and change. My son got so-ooo excited and started telling all the kids that Johnny is going to go change…… INTO A PIRATE!!!!! I didn’t want a crowd of disappointed youngin’s so I went around trying to explain. My son sat down in front of me pouting, waiting for Johnny to come out. About then, my six year old daughter tells me he doesn’t want to meet all of us “not famous” people, we should just leave. He then made his appearance, seemingly dropped out from the sky somewhere and started shaking hands with all of us. I, sunburnt as all get out (holding back the notion to show Johnny my sunburnt chest that had a big sun design burnt into it because of the silly shirt I had on and exclaiming “I’m burning for you, cry baby”) he shook my hand and I could say absolutely nothing. My daughter said hello, and he continued down the line…. CRAP I forgot Leviathan was sitting down…. I said “Levi, honey, stand up, your gonna miss him” and Johnny heard me, turned around and came back to shake Levi’s hand and thank him for coming. HE MADE OUR SUMMER, we have so much to talk about from that day, and my friends, so much to laugh about looking at my goofy-ass sun burn for three weeks. Thanks for all you do, Johnny… wish I could have a drink with you and B.S. for awhile. You are truely a brilliant, talented, gifted person that has brought much enjoyment to my life. You are appreciated.

Entertainment Weekly has confirmed: Johnny will play the Mad Hatter in Tim Burtin’s 3D Version of Alice in Wonderland. It is not known yet whether it will be live-action or animated but if it is animated Johnny will
provide the voice.

After playing a pirate in “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, versatile Hollywood actor Johnny Depp is set to play the Mad Hatter in the film version of “Alice in Wonderland”. Thesun.co.uk reports the movie will be shot in 3D and Depp teams up with his friend and collaborator, director Tim Burton. The two have worked together on six movies.

A source said: “Burton has had designs on ‘Alice In Wonderland’ since before he was famous. He has a knack for turning what seem like stories for just kids into gripping, spooky fables loved just as much by adults. He’s held out on doing ‘Alice’ till he got a big enough budget. Now this film is financed by Disney so money won’t be a problem.”

Unknown actress Mia Wasikowska will play Alice. Production will start next year and the release is planned for the summer of 2010.

Director Terry Gilliam, now in post-production on THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, Heath Ledger’s final film, was interviewed recently at the Ischia Film Festival. Gilliam had high praise for Ledger, calling him “a genius.” He also complimented the three actors–Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell–who stepped in to complete Ledger’s role in PARNASSUS after his untimely death last January:

TERRY GILLIAM: The great thing about it is that when Heath died, and we have a character that wasn’t finished in the movie, those three actors [Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell] came along and saved the day. And so the character is now basically four actors creating one character. And that’s . . . it’s very interesting, and maybe even more interesting than it would have been with one actor going all the way through. I’m still not the best judge, because I have in my head what the film was going to be with Heath all the way through, and now there’s a different film there. But all I know is, it’s very funny.

Gilliam sounded proud of his film and genuinely awed by the generosity of the actors who came forward to save the picture and ensure its completion. Despite their high profiles, Depp, Law, and Farrell took no compensation for their work; instead, they donated their salaries to Heath Ledger’s two-year-old daughter, Matilda:

TERRY GILLIAM: The three actors were totally heroic coming in. This doesn’t happen very often . . . where there’s a tragedy like this, and very famous, very successful actors suddenly say, “Okay, we’ll do whatever it takes to help.” They came; they did the work; they allowed the movie to be finished; they didn’t take money–the money goes to Heath’s daughter. That’s extraordinary! And wonderful . . . and when you’re part of that, you think, “Ah, this is maybe why I went into the movies, in the beginning. I thought it would be full of wonderful people. And in our case, we’ve got a movie full of wonderful people, who did extraordinary things to help.

Thanks to The Zone and FANtasticJD for the heads up; you can hear the full inteview HERE; click on the button that says “Interviews” in the upper right, and then select “Interview Terry Gilliam.”

Johnny Depp finishes filming his last few scenes and then pops open a cold bottle of cerveza after wrapping up Public Enemies in Arcadia, Calif. on Monday.

Depp, 45, had a bag of gifts for the cast and crew that he passed around the set. Stephen Dorff received an antique wooden toy pistol as they toasted to coronas.

Public Enemies is due to be released in July 2009.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, is a documentary film that is narrated by Johnny Depp and will have a limited release on July 4, 2008.

GALLERY LINKS
• Public Enemies: last day of filming, Arcadia

UPDATE: An announcement was made today that Johnny Depp would meet with fans at St. Anne High School today. A publicist for the film later said that information was inaccurate, but admitted that Depp does sometimes meet fans after a day of filming.

A Johnny Depp sighting took place outside St. Anne Community High School at about 12:25 p.m. today.

Depp is in town for the filming of “Public Enemies,” a Depression-era gangster film slated for a July 2009 release. Depp plays the role of infamous mobster John Dillinger.

Universal Studios has set up a number of trailers in the back parking lot of the school, and Depp walked out of one and climbed into the back passenger side of a black Ford Expedition. The vehicle pulled out of the parking lot and onto St. Louis Avenue. While it did not stop, Depp rolled down the window and waved to a crowd of about 60, many of whom were shouting his name.

While some members of the crowd expressed disappointment that he didn’t stop, they showed appreciation that he recognized them with a wave.

Depp and the rest of the crew were en route to an abandoned farmhouse east of St. Anne, where a full day of filming is planned.

Source: DailyJournal.com

Thanks to Christopher for the heads up.

In an early alert to retailers, Paramount/DreamWorks has set a late-October bow for the macabre musical ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.’

Bringing together the minds of Tim Burton and Stephen Sondheim, the $50 million-grossing ‘Sweeney Todd’ will make its long-awaited Blu-ray debut on October 21, over six months after the standard DVD release. (DreamWorks had previously announced an HD DVD version for this past April, but nixed the release after the studio dropped support for the format.)

Tech specs for the Blu-ray include 1080p video and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround audio, along with French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround dubs. Read more… »

While most of the Region was still sound asleep in warm beds, some 75 area residents gathered under a bright moon in 20 degree temperatures early Monday in hopes of doing a little star gazing.

Movie star gazing, that is.

Actor Johnny Depp is playing John Dillinger in the biopic “Public Enemies” filming this week in the outlaw’s old haunts in downtown Crown Point.

By 5 a.m., a group of nearly 50 people gathered behind an orange snow fence across Main Street from the old sheriff’s house and Hall of Justice just south of the courthouse square hoping to catch a glimpse of Depp. By 9 a.m., the crowd had grown to a few hundred. Read more… »

Added a new batch of pictures from yesterday.

GALLERY LINK
- Public Enemies – Columbus set

Also, I will post here some links to articles about the production:

• Our Man in Columbus – Johnny Depp in Wiscosin
• Depp Movie Boots Business in Columbus
• Johnny Depp Begins Works on “Public Enemies”
• Fans Flock to Columbus to See Johnny Depp
• Public Enemies: Catching Up with Johnny Depp and David Wenham …
• Dillinger filming may begin Monday in region
• The Chase to see Johnny Depp
• Depp’s ‘Public Enemies’ begins filming in Columbus
• Hundreds flock to Columbus see filming of Johnny Depp movie

This photos represents our first glimpse of Johnny Depp in the role of 1930s bank robber John Dillinger in Michael Mann’s film PUBLIC ENEMIES. Filming began yesterday, March 17, 2008, in the small town of Columbus, Wisconsin, where crews have been busily recreating the ambience of 1933 along East and West James Street. One of Dillinger’s bank robberies will be staged at West James Gallery, a beautiful vintage building which, in Dillinger’s time, housed the First National Bank.

Added 15 pictures from yesterday at PE set.

GALLERY LINK
- Filming Public Enemies in Columbus