Johnny Depp cast as Boston gangster Whitey Bulger

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Black Mass, set to begin shooting in May, will be directed by Barry Levinson and star Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger.

Cross Creek got the rights to the New York Times Bestseller "Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance between the FBI and the Irish Mob," written by Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerland O'Neil. Cross Creek and Exclusive Media will co-produce the film with North American distribution by Universal.

The notorious South Boston criminal Whitey Bulger became an FBI informant to thwart a rival Mafia family, but was double-crossed by the feds who prosecuted him anyway. He was finally captured in 2011 after being on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list for over a decade.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had their own Whitey Bulger script in the works, which they may have to abandon following this announcement.