Johnny Depp Signs On For Dr. Seuss Biopic

In between stints as a pirate, a scissor-handed freak and a chocolate-factory wizard, Johnny Depp has played a real-life hopped-up writer, a cross-dressing director and a notorious bank robber.

Now, the star has signed on to work on a film about one of the most-beloved authors of all time: Dr. Seuss. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Depp will produce and potentially star as Seuss (born Theodor Geisel), author of children's classics such as "Green Eggs and Ham", "The Cat in the Hat", "Horton Hears a Who!" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" In addition to being turned into a number of hit movies ("Grinch" and "Cat in the Hat"), Geisel's books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide.

The movie is unlikely to rely as heavily on CGI as Depp's $1 billion-grossing foray into "Alice in Wonderland" with director Tim Burton, but it's possible the Seuss film will include animated elements. Universal and production house Illumination Entertainment, currently joined in post production on an animated adaptation of Seuss' "The Lorax," and Infinitum Nihil also will work on the biopic.