3. Johnny Depp Turned Down James Franco's Role In Oz: The Great And Powerful
It's true to say that Oz: The Great and Powerful is something like half a good movie, but it's still a whole lot better than The Lone Ranger, which is the movie that Johnny Depp decided to go for instead of this one when he was offered the role of Oz himself. When Depp left, he was eventually replaced by James Franco, of course (director Sam Raimi also tried for Robert Downey Jr. in the beginning, who wasn't convinced by the script or the concept), who did a fine job. Johnny Depp presumably makes enough money as to not get his knickers in a twist when he ends up choosing the wrong film, but in this case he backed the wrong Disney horse: The Lone Ranger was a relative flop, was critically panned, and generally left a bad taste in the mouths of all who saw it. Oz: The Great and Powerful, on the other hand, went on to be one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, and was far more popular with audiences around the world. So given a choice between two eccentric, quirky characters, Johnny Depp went for the one that provided him with the opportunity to put more make-up on and do less acting. One could imagine that he feels a little bit of regret in passing on Oz: The Great and Powerful over The Lone Ranger as a result. Essentially, he chose to hang out with Armie Hammer for months instead of cosying up with Mila Kunis. And let's face it: that's the most depressing aspect about this entire thing.
