Are Tom Cruise And Johnny Depp Secret Comic Book Fans?

I have an insane curiosity when it comes to who might be comic book fans in Hollywood. I don’t know why. I guess it’s just gives me a sense of pride that someone that most of the world is a fan of likes the same things I do. And recent news from Hollywood makes me think two of the world’s biggest superstars might be one of us.

Ruetersis reporting that Tom Cruise is loosely attached to star in an adaption of the Wildstorm comic book, Sleeper. The film is at Wildstorm’s parent company Warner Brothers and is being produced by friend of comics Sam Raimi.

Sleeper tells the tale of a superpowered government agent who is assigned to infiltrate a group of super-villains. While undercover, he falls in love with one of his targets, a woman by the name of Miss Misery. The comic tied in to other Wildstorm properties WildC.A.T.S. and Gen 13, both which have movies in development at other studios, but that shouldn’t keep Sleeper from being made.

Cruise was once attached to star as Tony Stark in Iron Man in one of its previous incarnations. And he was interested in the role of Ozymandias in Zach Snyder’s Watchmen, even going so far as having talks with the director before backing out. He keeps circling around roles in comic book films, which makes me believe he is a fan, but has yet to follow through. Maybe Sleeper will be the one.

A stronger case for being a member of comic fandom can be made for Johnny Depp. Not only did he actually star in a comic book adaptation, From Hell, but his production company has a number of comic properties on its slate.

We already reported that his Infinitum Nihil production company is one of the players bringing Radical’s Caliber comic book to the big screen. But that’s not the only comic book property on Infinitum Nihil’s docket, and his other comic adaptation is one step closer to completion.

Back in 2006, Depp bought the rights to Arvid Nelson’s Image and Dark Horse series Rex Mundi. The comic deals with an alternate reality where the Protestant reformation never happened. Set in 1933, the Catholic Church is all-powerful and the Inquisition is still up and running.

MTV’s Splash Pageis reporting that a second draft of the script has been recieved and Depp and company are now looking for a director. Depp will portray the lead character, a Vatican investigator by the name of Dr. Julian Sauniere.

The above article also features a quote from Depp’s production partner, Radical Publishing’s Barry Levine, which tries to tell us that Depp is not a comic fan:

He’s not so much a comics guy as much of a story guy. If it’s a good story, it doesn’t matter.

I’m not buying that. If that was true, he’d never have picked up Caliber.

I know this is all just wishful thinking. But wouldn’t it be cool if Cruise and Depp were comic fans?