Movie News: Johnny Depp’s Next; Vin Diesel’s ‘Avengers 2’ Role; Josh Brolin in Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ (Trailer)

Mortdecai: Quickly putting the disappointing box office returns for The Lone Ranger behind him, Johnny Depp is in negotiations to play the title role in Mortdecai, a character described as “a wealthy art dealer and part-time rogue who frequently finds himself caught up in strange cases of crime and espionage.” David Koepp (Depp’s Secret Window) will direct. Depp is finishing up the sci-fi movie Transcendance, followed by a supporting role in the musical Into the Woods; he’s hoping to squeeze this movie in this fall before moving onto Pirates of the Caribbean 5. [The Wrap]

Vin Diesel and Marvel: After Vin Diesel announced recently he would be meeting with Marvel, fan speculation ran wild. (Our Marvel expert John Gholson provided several informed possibilities.) Now Diesel confirms that the meeting was, indeed, held and revealed … little else: “Only the people in the room can tell you what was discussed … After that meeting today… wow.” However, he posed in front of a cover of an Avengers comic book, which may be a coincidence or a purposefully misleading clue or … [Vin Diesel’s Facebook]

The Spy Who Loved Me: We love James Bond for so many different reasons, but this item will especially delight those who love 007’s automotive toys. The so-called “Submarine Car” from 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me — actually a specially-modified Lotus Espirit Series 1 — will be offered for auction in London in September. The self-propelled car is fully operational for your next underseas adventure; after appearing in the movie, it was placed into storage in Long Island, New York, before surfacing in 1989 and has been held privately since then. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Oldboy Trailer: Comparisons to Park Chan-wook’s Korean-language version of the original Japanese-language manga are inevitable, but the first red-band (NSFW!) trailer for Spike Lee’s Oldboy definitely does not stint on strong violence and disturbing imagery. (And, yes, it’s kinda breathtaking in its nastiness.) Josh Brolin stars as an ad exec who is kidnapped and held in isolatation for 20 years for no apparent reason; when he’s released for equally mysterious reasons, he seeks revenge. Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, and Samuel L. Jackson also star; the movie is due in theaters on October 25. [Yahoo! Movies]