It's another casing scoop for Johnny Depp. In another role seemingly tailor-made for him, Depp is slated to play the Dr. Seuss, pen name of beloved children book author Theodor Geisel, in an as-yet untitled biopic for Universal Pictures.

Depp is also producing the project with Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski, Illumination Entertainment's Christopher Meledandri and David Kennedy. Keith Bunin ("In Treatment") has been hired to write the screenplay.

The iconic children's author and illustrator of such beloved children's books like "Green Eggs and Ham" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is a perfect role for Depp, who has a penchant for eccentric characters. He has already played another children's book author, Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie, in "Finding Neverland". Although producers say that the film is live action and will not have the CGI elements of some of Depp's blockbusters, they are not ruling out animated bells and whistles.

Geisel's books are classics of children's literature and have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. A number of Seuss's books have been made into feature films, most recently with the animated "Horton Hears a Who," which earned $298 million in the box office. Live action films starring Jim Carrey in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and Mike Myers in "The Cat in the Hat" have also fared well.

Universal and Illumination are working on another Seuss adaptation of "The Lorax," which is due to hit theaters in March 2012.