It may not be “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but Johnny Depp is back with a big studio feature thanks to Marc Webb’s Lionsgate action thriller “Day Drinker.” More than a decade after starring in “The Rum Diary” opposite his now ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp returns to a booze-soaked title that doubles as a reunion with his longtime collaborator Penélope Cruz. The duo famously co-starred in “Blow,” as well as “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Murder on the Orient Express.”
“Day Drinker” centers on private-yacht bartender (Madelyn Cline) who encounters a mysterious, onboard guest (Depp). They soon find themselves entangled with a criminal figure (Cruz) and connected in ways no one saw coming. Netflix’s “Elite” breakouts Manu Ríos and Arón Piper also star, as well as Juan Diego Botto and Anika Boyle.
Lionsgate has started production on “Day Drinker” in Spain as of today, April 14. The film is produced by “John Wick” franchise stewards, Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, plus Adam Kolbrenner (“Free Guy,” “Prisoners”) and Zach Dean, who also wrote the original screenplay. Kolbrenner and Dean’s film “The Gorge” was recently released by Apple TV+/Skydance.
“I’m excited to be starting production with Johnny, Madelyn, Penelope, and this incredible cast,” director Webb said. “We’re in a beautiful location with a fantastic crew and a thrilling, ferocious story to tell. This is gonna be fun.”
Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a previous statement, “’Day Drinker’ combines a highly commercial concept with wildly outrageous twists and turns all set in an incredible world, and there is no better filmmaker than Marc or two more perfectly cast actors than Johnny and Penélope to bring that world to life.”
While Depp led Maiwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry,” which opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, “Day Drinker” is his major stateside studio project since the infamous trial involving Heard.
“Day Drinker” is executive produced by Webb, Dan Friedkin, Micah Green, Daniel Steinman, Stephen Deuters, Jason Forman, Sam Sarkar, Eric Sherman, Sarah Hong, Scott LaStaiti, Christopher Woodrow, Connor DiGregorio, and Adrián Guerra. It is also executive produced by 30WEST. Lionsgate will present “Day Drinker” in association with 30WEST. The film marks the second recent collaboration between Lionsgate and 30WEST, who are also teaming for “Power Ballad,” directed by John Carney, written by Carney and Peter McDonald, and starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas.
Webb’s production team includes director of photography Javier Aguirresarobe, ASC, AEC, production designer Jan Roelfs, editor Doc Crotzer, ACE, costume designer Penny Rose, and casting directors Hannah Ashby Ward and Alejandro Gil.
“Day Drinker” is a Thunder Road / IN.2 production. Chelsea Kujawa is overseeing the project for Lionsgate. The deals for Ríos, Piper, Botto, and Boyle were overseen for the studio by Dan Freedman.
