Johnny Depp Channels Keith Richards

Guitarist Keith Richards has been with the Rolling Stones since the ’60s, but he didn’t make his acting debut until 2007. He played Captain Teague, the father of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. The leap from rock star to pirate doesn’t seem like such a big one – Richards doesn’t look much different on stage than he does dressed in pirate garb – but those of us who did our research know that Johnny Depp and Keith Richards are long-time friends as well. Depp based the Jack Sparrow character in the Pirates trilogy specifically on Richards, in fact – paying homage to the musician, Depp imitated his mannerisms and developed a slurred English accent.

Depp is now about to direct a documentary on Richards, his first directorial effort since 1997’s The Brave. If I were to speak objectively, I’d probably say I wasn’t too thrilled with The Brave, which was not released in the U.S. but can be found in twelve parts on YouTube. I might say that the movie was overly long and plodding. Speaking, however, as Johnny Depp’s Number One Fan, The Brave was touching and expressive, and I can only hope that Depp’s forthcoming film treats its subject with the same care and effectiveness.

Richards has led an exciting life, peppered with hit records and drug-related criminal charges. These charges stopped coming after the mid ’70s, but that old reputation still follows him – hence the 2007 interview for NME magazine, where the interviewer asked Richards to name the strangest thing he had ever snorted. Richards famously replied that he had snorted his cremated father. He later confirmed that this was… somewhat true.

Depp plans to film the rocker directly, and although I’m excited to view the results, I have a feeling that Depp would do a great job of portraying Richards in a biopic. All he needs to do is make a few minor adjustments and swap his pirate breeches for a pair of vintage jeans. Either way, I will be following the progress of "Untitled Keith Richards Documentary" closely on IMDB. When it comes to a Johnny Depp project, especially one that collaborates with a member of one of my favorite bands, wild horses couldn’t drag me away.