Principal Photography Begins On MORTDECAI Starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor

Lionsgate and OddLot Entertainment have announced that principal photography has begun in London on the action comedy MORTDECAI.

Based on the popular three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli, which has amassed a significant cult following, the film features an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn.

Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

No release date has been set for MORTDECAI, but with Depp set to play “The Wolf” in Rob Marshall’s INTO THE WOODS along with the start of PIRATES 5 postponed, the actor will have time to focus on his additional duties as producer on the David Koepp film.

Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen, and Paul Whitehouse have also joined the cast of the film with a script written by Eric Aronson.  Andrew Lazar, Christi Dembrowski and OddLot’s Gigi Pritzker are producing the project.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said, “Kyril created a rich, immersive world with fresh characters, and we are thrilled to bring his beloved story to life with our friends and partners at OddLot. With David Koepp at the helm and a brilliant all-star cast, MORTDECAI will captivate audiences and keep them on the edge of their seats.”

OddLot’s Gigi Pritzker added, “The teams at OddLot and Lionsgate have been eager to start production of MORTDECAI. The cast of this film is phenomenal and the storyline is hilarious. It will be incredible to see it all captured over the coming weeks and we look forward to sharing it with fans of Kyril’s novels worldwide.”

MORTDECAI marks the first project under Lionsgate and OddLot’s multiyear, multipicture co-financing and distribution deal which the companies announced last month.