Corona | Coming Attractions

If you spend time following the business side of film, then one of the people whose career you may have been paying attention toward is cinematographer Wally Pfister. Pfister has been the director of photography for Christopher Nolan throughout his career, from Memento right through The Dark Knight Rises. Pfister won an Oscar for his photography for Nolan's Inception.

The cinematographer had announced his intentions to make the leap from behind the camera to calling the shots as a full-fledged director on a mystery project. Now details about that secretive movie are finally known, including the involvement of the picture's principal actor, none other than Johnny Depp.

The movie is called Transcendence and it's in the genre of science fiction, compared by THR to the likes of the aforementioned Inception as well as 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's about a computer that develops intelligence and then hatred before bringing a man (to be played by Depp) inside the computer realm. Perhaps with that simple logline it's easy to peg Transcendence as a meaner Tron, but with a smart guy like Pfister involved (and who is also helping tweak the screenplay), I'm certain that it will be more akin to Inception.

Depp is supposedly in contract negotiations with Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros., for a big paycheck. Reports say that the Lone Ranger and Pirates of the Caribbean star will earn $20 million dollars upfront and then stand to earn more, 15% of the gross ticket sales of the movie.

It's also been said that Pfister has met with Prometheus actress Noomi Rapace about playing the main female role, and that James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class) and Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) are in consideration for the supporting male role. Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) is also in contention for a supporting part.

Christopher Nolan and his producing partner/wife Emma Thomas will both executive produce Transcendence. Pfister and his team want to start shooting the movie early in 2013.