Johnny Depp has acquired the big-screen rights to Nick Tosches' novel "In the Hand of Dante" via his production house Infinitum Nihil.

The story follows Dante as he attempts to complete "The Divine Comedy" in Italy in the 14th century. Focusing on several storylines, the film also follows Tosches, who tries to authenticate what is described as Dante's original manuscript. 

According to Variety, Johnny Depp may even end up playing Tosches. Before he further considers this role though, Depp has plenty of other projects to work on. He is currently filming "Alice in Wonderland," and his future projects also include "Rango."

Plus, he could be taking on toles in a potential fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie and the upcoming "The Lone Ranger."

For now though, this seems like an interesting project, and certainly a departure from what Depp's been doing for quite some time now.