A new movie marks Depp’s first major return to screens since 2020.
As Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard tumble towards a conclusion in their very public defamation lawsuit, Depp is set to soon begin filming his first major film role since he was axed from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
After the court heard a string of troubling testimonies, Heard, 36, is set to take the stand in the coming days.
While the Aquaman star has seen a considerable amount of pushback on her inclusion in its superhero sequel The Lost Kingdom, Depp has lost jobs and not starred in a film since 2020’s independent effort Minamata.
However, things are seemingly about to change for the 58-year-old Hollywood veteran, who is set to star as French king Louis XV in director Maïwenn’s new film Jeanne Du Barry which will be centred around the controversial ruler.
While the full storyline is yet to be revealed, we do know that the French period drama will star its director Maïwenn who will portray Jeanne Bécu – a woman who rises up from a life of poverty to eventually find herself as the king’s unlikely mistress.
The project will be produced by Why Not Productions, which is helmed by Pascal Caucheteux and Gregoire Sorlat and while it’s yet to be confirmed, it’s believed that the movie will be entirely in French.
According to Variety, filming will commence this summer at the Versailles Palace and is set to last for three months.
Also known as ‘Louis the Beloved’, Louis XV ruled France from 1715 until his death in 1774. BBC History notes that Louis’ “failures contributed to the crisis that brought on the French Revolution”.
While the king was well-loved initially, he was largely despised after running the country into the ground by the time of his death.
Louis also engaged in countless wars, was easily influenced by mistresses and eventually lost most of Frances’s colonies to Britain during the Seven Years’ War.
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