Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil, has acquired the film rights to the Nick Tosches novel, In the Hand of Dante, published in 2002.
The book tells two stories in parallel. The first follows Dante’s work on The Divine Comedy in 14th-century Italy. The story also follows Tosches’ journey as he works on authenticating Dante’s original manuscript.
Johnny Depp will play Tosches. The star will also produce the film through his company, along with his partner, Christi Dembrowski.
Depp has been piling on the projects. He is currently filming Alice in Wonderland, and in 2009 he will star in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Public Enemies.