Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow caper ‘Mortdecai’ set for February

“Mortdecai,” an upcoming action-comedy starring Johnny Depp as a roguish art dealer, will open Feb. 6, Lionsgate announced.

Based on the the novels of Kyril Bonfiglioli, “Mortdecai” follows the globetrotting rake Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) as he races to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold. Along the way, he has to deal with the Russian mob, British intelligence, an international terrorist and his “impossibly leggy wife.”

Depp’s co-stars include Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn. The film is directed by David Koepp (“Premium Rush”), from a script he co-wrote with Eric Aronson and Peter Baynham.

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Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer said during a conference call with analysts in November that the studio sees Mortdecai as “a franchise-able character in the vein of ‘The Pink Panther.’”

At the moment, however, Depp’s stock isn’t riding too high. News of the “Mortdecai” release date comes on the heels of a dismal opening for Depp’s most recent movie, the $100-million techno-thriller “Transcendence,” which took in a paltry $11 million at the domestic box office over the weekend.

Depp’s two previous high-profile films, “The Lone Ranger” and “Dark Shadows,” also fizzled.

“Mortdecai’s” Feb. 6 release date pits it against the Liam Neeson hitman movie “Run All Night” and the fantasy tale “Seventh Son,” starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

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