“Day Drinker,” starring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, and Madelyn Cline, now has a trailer. I will say, unlike Depp’s upcoming “Ebenezer,” this film has not been testing well, at all.
Directed by Marc Webb, best known for “(500) Days of Summer, “Day Drinker” centers on a private-yacht bartender who becomes entangled with a mysterious guest and a dangerous criminal figure. The film, which is distributed by Lionsgate, is being described as an “action thriller.”
Sounds good on paper, right? Here’s the main issue I have with “Day Drinker”: its screenplay was written by Zach Dean, known for “The Tomorrow War,” “Fast X,” “The Gorge” and “Deadfall.” Bad news. Furthermore, the trailer clearly shows a film that veers into the supernatural, and it looks clunky.
Webb is coming off — yikes — Disney’s ‘Snow White’ remake, and he also directed the two Andrew Garfield “Spider-Man” movies: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2.’ He additionally helmed the critically panned “The Only Living Boy in New York.” His best film remains his debut, “(500) Days of Summer,” which hit theaters 17 years ago.
For Depp, “Day Drinker” represents one of his first major Hollywood studio projects following the legal battles involving ex-wife Amber Heard. Although he continued working internationally in films like “Jeanne du Barry” and as director of “Modi,” “Three Days on the Wing of Madness,” he has not headlined a major U.S. studio production since “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” in 2018. Depp is also scheduled to appear later this fall in “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” from Paramount Pictures, and is rumored to return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as Jack Sparrow.
Cruz and Depp have worked together on three films: “Blow” (2001), “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011), and “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017). Cruz has also been one of Depp's most famous supporters following his defamation case against Heard.
“Many years have passed and I have not only made 3 movies with him, but I also count on him as a great friend," wrote Cruz on documents submitted to the court. "I’ve always been impressed by his kindness, his brilliant mind, his talent, and his peculiar sense of humor."
“Day Drinker,” distributed by Lionsgate, is set to arrive in theaters on March 26, 2027.
The film is set to star Hugh Jackman, while Hugh Grant and Owen Cooper are circling roles. Jack Thorne, who is red-hot these days thanks to his work on the acclaimed Netflix series "Adolescence.”