Depp and director Marshall reteam for 'The Thin Man'

(AFP PHOTO / Max NASH)

With Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ready to release on May 20, Johnny Depp has lined up his next film, a classic thriller, The Thin Man, which will be adapted from the Dashiell Hammett novel.

Pirates director Rob Marshall ( Chicago) will reteam with Depp in this comedy-crime film. Originally released in 1934, the Oscar-nominated movie starred William Powell as Nick Charles, the role Depp will play, the studio confirmed Monday.

Marshall stated in the press release that he's "overjoyed at the idea of working with Johnny again, especially on such a classy and classic project." He will co-produce with Depp's Infinitum Nihil Company.

The detective story features Nick and his wealthy wife Nora Charles, a role not yet cast, who solve murder cases for fun and reveal their findings at a dinner party.

The Thin Man is set for a 2013 release, when the next installment of Pirates of the Caribbean - the fifth - is set for release.

Depp's other upcoming projects include a couple book adaptations: The Rum Diary based on a Hunter S. Thompson story, in theaters October 28, and on November 23 is the release of Martin Scorsese's Hugo Cabret with Chloe Moretz.

Also, currently in production for 2012 are films based on television shows including Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, the 1960s gothic soap with Depp as a vampire costarring Helena Bonham Carter. He will also appear next March in the adaptation of 21 Jump Street, the show that gave the actor his start as a teen undercover cop.

Depp will portray Tonto in the adaptation of The Lone Ranger a masked ranger in America's Old West, scheduled for theaters in 2014.

RC