Johnny Depp to star in Russian children's film

UFA, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has agreed to star in a children's film set in Russia's Urals region, the film's producer told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

Alexander Vakhitov, an undergraduate at the Modern Academy for the Humanities, said not enough children's films are being made, and they need famous actors to guarantee success.

"Any child knows Johnny Depp's character, Captain Jack Sparrow," he said, referring to the box office hit Pirates of the Caribbean.

"I had a 20-minute conversation with the famous actor, during which Depp agreed to star in my film. It will be a fairy tale and Johnny will play the main role," Vakhitov said.

Vakhitov said he is sure that Depp has no idea of the whereabouts of Ufa, the capital of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, and confessed that he spent three months preparing for the conversation with Depp.

He did not reveal the name of the film or Depp's character, but said that once Depp found out about the role, he agreed to star in the film for free.

Vakhitov said that there would be some sort of compensation for the Hollywood actor, which would be paid by sponsors.

Depp's compensation aside, the film's budget is around 30 million rubles ($1 million) and filming will begin in a year and a half, according to Vakhitov.

Depp, 46, first came to film prominence in the title role of Edward Scissorhands, and later found box office success in as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and his role as the quirky Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Depp's films have grossed over $2.3 billion at the United States box office and over $4.8 billion worldwide.