It’s being reported that Johnny Depp and his Infinitum Nihil production company have teamed with Illumination Entertainment to develop a live–action movie about beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss, for Universal Pictures. The project is being developed with the potential for Depp to star in the lead role.

Seuss, who’s real name is Theodor Geisel, wrote numerous timeless classics, many of which were eventually turned into feature films. His more notable works include How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who!, and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.

There’s a lot of ways a movie like this could go, of course, and producers aren’t sure exactly what route they’ll take yet. Depp has played Seussical (not the musical; rather fantastical, fitting to the creations of Seuss himself) roles such as the Mad Hatter and Willy Wonka, so they could tell the story of Dr. Seuss’s life along with animated glimpses of his infinitely wonderful and strange creations. Or they could take the Finding Neverland—the film where Depp played J.M. Barrie, the man who first wrote what would become the tale of Peter Pan—route and play the movie straight and dramatic with hints of whimsical wonder sprinkled in.

Either way, I’m sure most of you will agree that it’s hard to imagine anyone else worthy enough for the job apart from Depp. Yes, he’s played these types of roles before and there are talented enough actors who could pull it off…but would it feel right without him?

If you don’t like Depp for the lead, who would you want to see?

[Source: Risky Business]