If there was one word that could describe director Wes Anderson‘s dream cast wish list for his next project, The Grand Budapest Hotel, it would be ambitious.

The list of names on the cast sheet included Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jude Law, Jeff Goldblum, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Angela Lansbury. Though Murray, Norton, Goldblum, Brody, Wilson, and Dafoe are names that often appear in an Anderson film, this would be the first time for Depp, Law, and Lansbury.

Now it’s being reported that Depp has officially joined the cast of The Grand Budapest Hotel, which is to be set in Europe.

Not much is known about the plot for the film or what kind of character Depp will be playing. But knowing that this is an Anderson film, it will probably have some sort of quirky taste. In terms of the tone, /Film has word that The Grand Budapest Hotel will be one of the darker films on Anderson’s resume.

It is unknown what stages of negotiations the rest of the cast is in. We do know that the film also stars Owen Wilson, who like Murray, is a frequent collaborator with Anderson’s work. It’s also been announced that Scott Rudin, a man who has been a producer on all of Anderson’s films except for Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, will be here as well.

Depp is not one to shy away from the quirky roles, but he has been playing it safe for a while. So joining the cast of a Wes Anderson film is definitely a nice change of pace.

Are you excited to see Depp and Anderson finally work together on a film?

[Source: Deadline]