Penélope Cruz joins Johnny Depp in Lionsgate’s upcoming ‘Day Drinker’

Lionsgate announced yesterday that Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz will reunite on the big screen in the upcoming movie "Day Drinker", directed by Marc Webb (known for "The Amazing Spider-Man").

This marks the fourth collaboration between Depp and Cruz, following "Blow", "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", and "Murder on the Orient Express". Initially reported in March with Sydney Sweeney rumoured to co-star with Depp, this film also represents Depp's first major studio role since settling his defamation case with Amber Heard in 2022.

"Day Drinker", written from an original screenplay by Zach Dean, follows a cruise ship bartender who encounters an enigmatic daytime drinker, leading them into a tangled web of crime and unforeseen connections. 

This film also represents a second recent partnership between Lionsgate and 30West. They are simultaneously collaborating on "Power Ballad," directed by John Carney and starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas.

Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, shared a statement regarding the project, saying, "'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."

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Once one of Hollywood's most sought-after stars, Johnny Depp's last major studio release was "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" in 2018. Following his loss in a 2020 UK libel case regarding abuse allegations by ex-wife Amber Heard, Warner Bros replaced Depp with Mads Mikkelsen for "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore". 

However, Depp later won a defamation trial against Heard in the US. In recent years, he has appeared in films like "Jeanne du Barry", which premiered at Cannes, as well as indie projects "Minamata", "Waiting for the Barbarians", and "City of Lies".

Penélope Cruz, who was last seen starring alongside Adam Driver in Michael Mann's "Ferrari", will soon appear in Maggie Gyllenhaal's "Frankenstein"-inspired film "The Bride" for Warner Bros.