Johnny Depp back in talks for Whitey Bulger biopic

Actor Johnny Depp is in new talks to portray notorious crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger in a biopic.

The Edward Scissorhands star was originally cast in Black Mass in February (13), but dropped out in May (13) after he was reportedly asked to take a $10 million pay cut due to budget constraints.

Rain Man director Barry Levinson was initially attached to direct the film, but Out of the Furnace filmmaker Scott Cooper is now reportedly in talks to rewrite and direct the movie about the Boston, Massachusetts gangster, who spent almost two decades evading capture after he was placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation 's (FBI) Most Wanted List.

Black Mass isn't the only film based on Bulger's life story in development - Matt Damon is also set to star as the crime lord in a new project directed by his pal Ben Affleck, while Twilight actor Peter Facinelli is set to star in a TV adaptation of Edward MacKenzie and Phyllis Karas' book Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer For Whitey Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob.