Johnny Depp has been cast as an exciting character in an upcoming movie, and his new persona is a drastic departure from the last role he accepted. Every Johnny Depp movie has the actor vanishing into his roles, delivering the most committed performance possible. Although Depp’s acting work has been fairly under the radar in recent years, his next project could be exactly what he needs to put him back on the map.

While Depp is a frequent collaborator with director Tim Burton, the actor is perhaps most known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. His more grounded roles tend to be overshadowed by the more fantastical characters he portrays, and the upcoming project to which Depp is attached is certainly more the former than the latter. However, it’s impossible to ignore the disparity between his new casting and the one that preceded it.

Johnny Depp’s Satan Is Sure To Be Very Different From His Arctic Dogs Spinoff Character

Depp has been cast in Terry Gilliam’s The Carnival at the End of Days

2019’s Arctic Dogs spawned several spinoff TV shows and movies, despite the initial project being a box office bomb. The Arctic Dogs franchise snagged a surprising star in 2019, casting Johnny Depp as Johnny Puff in Puffins. The actor’s upcoming movie, The Carnival at the End of Days, which is currently in development, will have Depp in the role of Satan. Details are currently scarce regarding exactly how Depp will breathe life into his new character. One thing is for certain, The Carnival at the End of Days‘ premise essentially guarantees Depp’s Satan character won’t be anything like Johnny Puff.

Depp’s Arctic Dogs character received his own spinoff movie in 2024 called Johnny Puff: Secret Mission .

As Puffins is an animated kids’ show, Johnny Puff only requires Depp to provide a voice performance. Furthermore, Johnny Puff speaks in a made-up language that’s essentially just nonsense. It’s an unusual role, even for Johnny Depp. That being said, he’s voiced the character close to 100 times. The Carnival at the End of Days will likely require Depp’s physical presence to play Satan, and at present, there’s no reason to believe he will be required to reprise the role. Even if he does, he won’t beat his career record of reprisals set by his time as Johnny Puff.

The Carnival At The End Of Days Could Be Depp’s Biggest Role Since His Fantastic Beasts Exit

Warner Bros. replaced Depp in Fantastic Beasts 3 due to the Amber Heard case

Since being released from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise (and replaced by Mads Mikkelsen) Johnny Depp hasn’t appeared in any major projects. While his work in the Arctic Dogs franchise has certainly been substantial, it’s something of a waste of the actor’s talents. The Carnival at the End of Days could be the project Depp needs to return to form, with his last notable casting coming in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Johnny Depp appeared in some classics before he took off, but his career could have looked very different if these movies launched his success.

Depp is set to appear in Carnival alongside two other big names: Star Wars‘ Adam Driver, and Aquaman‘s Jason Momoa. The movie will also be directed by Terry Gilliam, who Depp worked with for 2009’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus​​​​​​. The coming together of such established personnel suggests the movie will make a substantial impact, allowing Johnny Depp to move away from projects like Puffins and return to business as usual.