Johnny Depp insists Hollywood boycotted it, but overseas it is set to make a comeback on the big screen. His new movie, Jeanne DuBarry, will premiere in pre-sale at the Cannes market later this month, Deadline reported Tuesday. The project would mark Depp’s first feature film since the 2020s Minamata.
The Oscar nominee will play King Louis XV, aka Louis le Bien-Aimé, in a French-language film directed by Maiwenn, who also plays the role of the sovereign’s mistress, Jeanne Bécu. Louis XV reigned over France for almost 59 years, but “died an unpopular king…accused of corruption and debauchery”. Variety reported in January. According to the outlet, filming will primarily take place at the Palace of Versailles and is expected to begin this summer. The project was first reported by the French site Satellifax.
Depp’s dwindling career prospects have been at the center of his ongoing defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp sues Heard for $50 million in 2018 Washington Post editorial in which she identified herself as a survivor of domestic violence, but did not name Depp. Heard is suing for $100 million. Depp has denied the allegations she made against him. “It’s been six years of tough times,” Depp said during his April 19 testimony. “It’s kind of weird when one day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, and then 0.6 seconds [later] you are Quasimodo.
Last week, Heard’s former agent Christian Carin, who also served as Depp’s agent for a time, testified that Depp lost his role in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 because of Heard’s allegations. “My opinion is that it was related to the charges brought by Amber,” he said. Carino clarified that while Depp’s exile “is something within the industry that is understood,” he hadn’t spoken to anyone directly connected to the pirate franchise outside the producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who did not specify that Depp was ousted from the show due to the allegations.
Depp’s career has been on the decline since his legal battle with Heard began. He resigned from his role in the fantastic beasts franchise at the request of Warner Bros. after losing a 2020 defamation case against The sun, who called Depp a “woman drummer” in a 2018 headline. Warner Bros. replaced Depp with Mads Mikkelsen in the recently released third fantastic beasts film, but paid Depp his full $16 million salary after Depp only shot one scene. His film Minamata, in which he plays American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, received a meager theatrical release after being sidelined for about a year. Lately, Depp’s work has been relegated to voice character on the web series. Puffin Impossible.
Depp’s return to filmmaking in a French-language project is testament to his enduring popularity in Europe. Last year, the Karlovy Vary and San Sebastian film festivals presented him with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
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