“Day Drinker,” starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz, is now set to arrive in theaters on March 26, 2027. The film takes over the release slot previously held by “The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One.”
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.
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 year 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."
This is a significant update for a project that has been stuck in development for years, and comes roughly a year after Brolin said “Sicario 3” was a maybe.