UPDATE: Johnny Depp to Play 'The Baker' in INTO THE WOODS? Deal 'Almost' Done

As BroadwayWorld.com previously reported, Meryl Streep will play the witch in the upcoming big screen adaptation of INTO THE WOODS. Now according to Variety, Johnny Depp is currently in talks to join the cast for the film by Warner Bros/Disney film, which is set to be directed by Rob Marshall.

UPDATE: Variety now reports that Depp is in talks to play 'The Baker,' while The Hollywood Reporter claims that he will play "a hungry and sexy variation of the fairy tale wolf character." At the very least, Depp is all but confirmed for the film. Deadline announced that sources revealed Depp's deal is "almost" done.

BroadwayWorld will keep you updated as Depp wraps up negotiations and the official word on which role he'll take on comes in!

Click here to read the original Variety article, for Deadline's confirmation, click here.

Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol. Dissatisfied with that status, Depp turned to film for more challenging roles; he played the title character of the acclaimed Edward Scissorhands (1990) and later found box office success in films such as Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Rango (2011) and the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003-present). He has collaborated with director and friend Tim Burton in eight films; the most recent being Dark Shadows (2012).

BroadwayWorld confirmed that the cast of a screenplay reading, which took place in October, included (in alphabetical order): Nina Arianda as The Baker's Wife; Christine Baranski as the Stepmother; Tammy Blanchard as Florinda; Victoria Clark as Cinderella's Mother/Giant; James Corden as the Baker; David Garrison as the Narrator; Ivan Hernandez as the Wolf; Megan Hilty as Lucinda; Cheyenne Jackson as Rapunzel's Prince; Allison Janney as Jack's Mother; Anna Kendrick as Cinderella; Michael McGrath as the Steward/Baker's Father; Donna Murphy as the Witch; Laura Osnes as Rapunzel; Taylor Trensch as Jack; Casey Whyland as Little Red Riding Hood; and Patrick Wilson as Cinderella's Prince.

James Lapine, the original book writer of INTO THE WOODS, is reworking the script for the screenplay, while Sondheim is expected to contribute some new songs.

Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Into the Woods won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by The Phantom of the Opera.