Johnny Depp's '21 Jump Street' cameo has been written, but will he show?

Johnny Depp, your "21 Jump Street" cameo is waiting.

Credit: AP Photo

If you haven't realized it yet, Johnny Depp doesn't take himself that seriously.  That's one of the reasons his precocious personality has resonated in roles such as Captain Jack Sparrow from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and, most recently, as the Mad Hatter in the global smash "Alice in Wonderland."  It was while doing press for "Alice" this past March that Depp reflected on the role that gave him his first big break, Officer Tom Hanson in the FOX TV series "21 Jump Street."  And as it turns out, Depp is hardly embarrassed by his small screen origins.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Depp noted, "I’m hoping they’ll let me do a cameo.  Someone will say, ‘Whatever happened to Tom Hanson?’ and they’ll find me somewhere hoarding jars of peanut butter and shaking in my underpants.”

Hanson's fate remains to be seen, but according to Jonah Hill, one of "Street's" screenwriters, it's been determined. I asked the writer during press for his upcoming comedy "Get Him to the Greek"  if he took public proclamations from Depp about a cameo seriously.

'Hell yeah, we take it seriously,' Hill says. "It would be great if Johnny Depp wanted to do a cameo.  We wrote him a really funny one, so hopefully he does it."

"Jump Street" will shoot next spring, giving Depp more than enough time to fit it into his schedule (if he's still willing).

The 26-year-old Hill says he always liked "Jump Street," but when he was asked to turn it into a movie he immediately connected with a "'Back to the Future' element" to the series where the leads are reliving high school as undercover cops years only a few years after graduating.  Hill adds, "I thought that was really interesting because it was like a time travel movie in a way - getting to go back and experience a really significant time in your life."

It also appears the picture will have a strong comedic element to it.

"The fun is that they sort of go back to high school and immediately revert to the way they were in high school and lose the swagger and confidence they've gained as guys in their mid-20s," Hill says.

Hill's immediate concern is "Get Him to the Greek" which arrives in theaters on June 6.  Depp is set to resume his role as Captain Jack in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" next month in Hawaii.

Gregory Ellwood
Editor-in-Chief, Co-Founder

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With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3’s on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.