The Former Days Of Our Lives Star Who's Set To Play Johnny Depp In A New Movie

"Days of Our Lives" viewers may remember the character of Nathan Horton (Mark Hapka), who showed up in Salem in June 2009. Although the Horton last name is iconic in Salem, some fans may not know that Nathan is the son of Maggie Horton's (Suzanne Rogers) daughter, Melissa Horton. Nathan came to Salem for an internship at University Hospital, per Soap Central. Along the way, Nathan had some romantic struggles when he engaged in a heavy flirtation with both Steve and Kayla Johnson's daughter, Stephanie Johnson (then Shelly Hennig) and Melanie Jonas (Molly Burnett). Eventually, Nathan dated both women and was even engaged to Stephanie. However, the relationships fizzled out and Nathan opted to leave Salem for an internship at Johns Hopkins (via Soaps).

In addition to his time on "Days of Our Lives," Hapka has also appeared in films like "The Cellar," "Birds of a Feather," "Beyond the Mat," and "Altergeist." He's also been seen in TV movies such as "Deadly Revenge," "16 and Missing," "Burning Little Lies," and television shows "Criminal Minds," "Ghost Whisper," and "Hannah Montana" (via IMDb).

Now, the actor has an exciting new role as he is set to star as one of Hollywood's most famous and talked-about actors, Johnny Depp.

According to Soap Opera Digest, Mark Hapka has officially been tapped to portray real-life screen icon Johnny Depp in a film that follows the actor's messy and controversial defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. The film, titled "Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial" is set to stream on the Tubi app on September 30, and will retell the story of Depp and Heard's captivating summer 2022 trial.

"'Hot Take: The Depp/Heard Trial' has 'Hot Take' in the title for a reason," Adam Lewinson, chief content officer at Tubi, said (via Deadline). "With our partners at MarVista, this Tubi Original was fast-tracked into production to capture a timely take on a story that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, painting a unique picture of what millions watched play out in the headlines over the summer." In addition to Hapka's casting as Depp, the "Days of Our Lives" actor will be joined by actress Megan Davis who will portray Heard in the movie. Meanwhile, Melissa Marty will play Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez and Mary Carrig will portray Heard's attorney, Elaine Bredehoft (via Variety).

Depp and Heard's trial ended in June 2022, after the jury awarded the actor $10.4 million in defamation damages and $2 million to Heard in compensatory damages, and was widely talked about in the headlines and on social media.