Everyone’s favorite actor (at least the 6500 screaming girls at Comic-Con’s favorite) Johnny Depp is going from the lovable pirate Jack Sparrow to playing the revolutionary Poncho Villa, considerably one of the most challenging roles in his career.

Variety, reports that the actor is in advanced negotiations to play the real life Pancho Villa in Serbian director Emir Kusturica’s upcoming biopic Seven Friends of Pancho Villa and the Woman With Six Fingers.

Also being reported to join the cast is Salma Hayek. Kusturica co-wrote the film with his screenwriting partner Gordan Mihic.

The biopic revolves around an early 20th Century bandit who became a guerilla fighter and hero to the poor, the trade reports that they will have Depp acting in Spanish. The story will be based on the biographical novel ‘The Friends of Pancho Villa‘, which was written by James Carlos Blake and recounts how Villa and his loyal companions had the time of their lives robbing from the rich, partying, dancing, drinking Tequila, and making love.

Depp got his first Academy Award nomination with Jack Sparrow but it could be this film that may poise him to get his first win. I hope he lands the role officially as a fan of the Poncho Villa story I can’t imagine anyone else that would be as perfect as Depp for this role.