Master of eccentricity Johnny Depp is taking on another oddball character in upcoming comedy crime caper Mortdecai. Since the movie wasn’t directed by Tim Burton, Depp gets to leave the white panstick behind in favor of a rather fantastic mustache as he plays the eponymous Charlie Mortdecai, an English aristocrat and art dealer who was originally created by writer Kyril Bonfiglioli for a series of novels published in the 1970s.

Mortdecai seems to be mostly based on Bonfiglioli’s first novel, “Don’t Point That Thing at Me”, and was adapted for the screen by scribe Eric Aronson (On the Line). The film was helmed by screenwriter/director David Koepp, who last worked with Depp on the 2004 mystery thriller Secret Window (based on Stephen King’s literature).


Mortdecai also stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Charlie’s wife, Johanna, and another Marvel Cinematic Universe citizen in Paul Bettany, who plays Charlie’s faithful manservant Jock Strapp. Other familiar names starring in the movie include Ewan McGregor, Aubrey Plaza, Jeff Goldblum, and Olivia Munn.
The second trailer for Mortdecai has now landed, and showcases Depp at peak Depp-iness, flexing his perfectly waxed mustache as Mortdecai and Jock jump anachronistically into a series of adventures in Los Angeles. McGregor plays a police inspector who recruits Mortdecai’s help in hunting down a stolen Goya painting, but it seems like he may have placed his trust in the wrong hands as it’s not long before Jock and Mortdecai are plotting to take the painting for themselves.

Johnny Depp as Charlie Mortdecai Mortdecai Trailer #2: Johnny Depp Hunts for Stolen Art

Though Depp still has plenty of fans, it’s hard to deny that he’s been having some issues of late. The most notable examples being last year’s The Lone Ranger, which ended up incurring a painful financial loss for Disney, and Wally Pfister’s ambitious but widely panned directorial debut Transcendence, which barely broke even at the global box office, earlier this year.

Coupled with a release set for the cool month of February and trailers that are lacking in any laugh-out-loud moments, and it doesn’t look like Depp’s presence in the lead role is likely to guarantee success for Mortdecai. Then again, that mustache just might do it.

Mortdecai opens in U.S. theaters on February 6th, 2015.