One thing I definitely did not expect to see news about today was an announcement that Johnny Depp plans to adapt the classic Soviet-era book The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. According to a report in Variety, the book-to-screen adaptation could begin filming next year with Depp producing and possibly starring in it. It’s a bold choice for anyone to try to adapt this wonderful novel, but it’s one of my favorite books, and I can’t wait to see it play out in a film.
The Master and Margarita Has Been A Favorite Among Artists For Decades
As with many works of art and literature from Cold War-era Soviet history, The Master and Margarita has a fraught history. Bulgakov wrote the book in the 1930s, before he died in 1940. It went unpublished for years. His widow first got a highly-censored version of the novel published in the Soviet Union in mid-’60 (in serial form), and manuscripts of the uncensored book were snuck out of the Eastern Bloc around the same time. It has since been published in its complete form several times and in many languages.
It makes perfect sense that Depp, who is starting to land more and more roles again, would be attracted to the prospect of making the first English-language adaptation of the book, as almost immediately, the book was a hit with musicians and artists. Famously, the book inspired Mick Jagger to pen the Rolling Stones’ classic “Sympathy for the Devil” after being given it by his then-girlfriend Marianne Faithfull. The Pearl Jam song “Pilate” was partially inspired by the book, too. Salman Rushdie has said it was one of the inspirations for his controversial novel The Satanic Verses. The list goes on and on.
It’s Not The Kind Of Book You Might Expect From A Soviet-Era Writer
The book follows two timelines: the main timeline in Moscow under Stalin’s rule, and another in ancient times. It tells the story of the trial of Jesus and Pontius Pilate. The book is a biting satire of Soviet life and the communist regime, and a fantastical look at good and evil in the world. People might hear “Russian classic literature” and think “boring,” but it’s not at all. It’s funny, quick-paced, and incredibly approachable.
How to approach adapting the story may be tricky, though. It’s often dream-like, and the subject matter is starting to get dated, to say the least, especially outside of the former Soviet Union. Western directors like Terry Gilliam and Baz Luhrmann have flirted with the idea, but abandoned it eventually. That said, it was adapted in Russian last year by director Michael Lockshin, and the movie was a huge hit in Russia. I’ve never seen it, but you can be sure it’s now at the top of my watch list.
As of now, little has been said about the Depp-led production. There is no director attached, and nothing else is known about the production, other than the news that it may begin filming next year. So while we won’t see it on the 2026 movie schedule, I’m crossing my fingers for 2027.
