Johnny Depp is one of those actors who has done and seen it all. He's played sharp-dressed gangsters, murdering psychopaths, scissor-handed softies, cunning pirates and more.

But here's a first: He's about to become a superhero — sort of.

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that Depp has signed on to play legendary magician and escape artist Harry Houdini in the upcoming Lionsgate and Summit film "The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero."

The film, directed by "Galaxy Quest" and "Red 2" filmmaker Dean Parisot, reportedly reimagines Depp as "not just a master escape artist but an investigator of the world of the occult."

Okay, so not quite a superhero, and more of the goofy gothic type that Depp's used to playing. We'll see that superhero side of Depp some day, certainly.

In related news, Depp has another interesting connection to the superhero world right now, by way of Marvel. No, he's not set to headline "Doctor Strange" or anything — he looks likely to be collaborating with Edgar Wright, the filmmaker who just departed Marvel's "Ant-Man," for Disney's adaptation of the TV show "The Night Stalker."

Deadline reports that the adaptation is one of the possible new projects on Wright's plate after leaving "Ant-Man." But with "Houdini" in the mix, it's unclear how soon Depp could get to work on the Wright project, assuming it's what Wright wants to do next.

What do you think of Depp's upcoming turn as Harry Houdini?