The 76th Cannes Film Festival will kick off with the historical drama Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp and directed by Maïwenn. Depp will play the role of King Louis XV of France, while Maïwenn takes on the titular role of Louis’ favorite courtesan. Other cast members include Louis Garrel, Pierre Richard, and Noémie Lvovsky. The movie has been hyped as Depp’s comeback after his highly publicized trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, who had accused him of mental and physical abuse.
The premiere of Jeanne du Barry will take place on May 16th at Cannes, with the French theatrical release also scheduled for the same day. Netflix holds limited rights for the post-theatrical window in France, but no plans for a wider release have been announced yet.
There were rumors earlier that Depp would reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, with reports suggesting that he was offered $300 million for the comeback and that Disney had apologized to him.
However, the release of Jeanne du Barry is expected to generate controversy, given that Depp was considered done as an actor after the allegations by Heard. The two met while filming The Rum Diary in 2009 and married in 2015 after four years of dating. In 2016, Heard filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against Depp. In 2018, Depp sued News Group Newspapers for libel over an article published by The Sun that called him a ‘wife-beater.’ He lost the London trial after the judge found Heard’s claims to be ‘substantially true.’
In 2019, Depp sued Heard for defamation in Fairfax, Virginia, over an op-ed she had written for the Washington Post titled ‘I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.’ Although she had not named him in the piece, Depp filed for defamation. The trial gained widespread media attention not just because of the high-profile individuals involved but also because of the personal details of their turbulent marriage that emerged during the proceedings. Depp ultimately emerged victorious in the trial.
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