Johnny Depp Is Set To Return To Big Screen With New Movie

Johnny Depp insists that Hollywood has boycotted him, but overseas he’s poised to make a big-screen return. His new film, Jeanne Du Barry, will be pitched for presales at the Cannes market later this month, Deadline reported on Tuesday. The project would mark Depp’s first feature since 2020’s Minamata.

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Amid the highly publicized ongoing trial between Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, it has been confirmed that the actor will finally be making an acting comeback for the first time since allegations of abuse were made against him in 2016.

The Oscar nominee will play King Louis XV, a.k.a. Louis the Beloved, in a French-language movie directed by Maïwenn, who also stars as the ruler’s mistress, Jeanne Bécu. Louis XV reigned over France for nearly 59 years, but “died as an unpopular king…accused of corruption and debauchery,” Variety reported in January. According to the outlet, shooting will take place primarily at the Versailles Palace and is set to begin this summer. The project was first reported by the French website Satellifax.

The forthcoming King Louis XV picture marks the first project Johnny has signed on for since 2020's Minamata and Apple TV Plus' animated series, Puffins.

Depp’s waning career prospects have been a focal point of his ongoing defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she identified herself as a domestic abuse survivor, but did not name Depp. Heard is countersuing for $100 million. Depp has denied the allegations she made against him.

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“It’s been six years of trying times,” Depp stated during his April 19 witness testimony. “It’s pretty strange when one day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, then 0.6 seconds [later] you’re Quasimodo.”

Both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were essentially, blacklisted from Hollywood following domestic abuse allegations between them.

Depp hasn't been a part of any projects since 2020, after the allegations were made in 2016, putting a halt to all of his movies at the time.

Since then, there have been several petitions to blacklist Heard, including one that garnered more than 3-million signatures to have her removed from Aquaman 2.

In the midst of the ongoing legal fights with Heard, Depp also cut ties with Disney and his most famous character. Depp was set to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6. However, as the allegations against Depp continued to make headlines, he was dropped from the production which is currently on hold.

Depp testified that he was set to receive a $22.5-million salary to return as Jack Sparrow for the franchise's sixth movie. During his most recent trial, Depp said if Disney did ever offer him the chance to return to the series, he would turn them down now.

"...there was a deep and distinct sense of feeling betrayed by the people that I've worked hard for," he said during a cross-examination with Heard's lawyer.

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Last week, Heard’s former agent Christian Carino, 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 accusations that Amber has made,” he said. Carino clarified that while Depp’s exile “is something within the industry that is understood” he had not spoken to anyone directly linked to the Pirates franchise aside from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who didn’t specify that Depp was ousted from the series due to the allegations. 

Depp’s career has been on a downswing 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 libel case in 2020 against The Sun, which had called Depp a “wife-beater” 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 had shot only a single scene.

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At the time of his departure from the series, Depp addressed fans on Instagram.

He confirmed Warner Brothers, the studio behind the Fantastic Beasts movies, asked him to resign. He also maintained his innocence in spite of the allegations against him.

"My resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false," he wrote in a statement.

However, since the news of Depp's return to the big screen has surfaced, the fans could not be more excited.

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"We love to see it," one fan tweeted.

"After this trial is over and Johnny Depp receives [the] justice he’s been denied, wait and see all the offers that begin to flood in. He’s so deserving of it because of the horror he’s been through and survived," they added.

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"He will be an even bigger celebrity than before," someone else wrote.

"We all will be watching his movies as soon as the theaters open up," the fan added, while someone else wrote:

"Finally, this is what we have waited for, for so long. We welcome Johnny with open arms. Always have done, always will do. So proud of him and proud his strength."

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Another fan tweeted that Depp deserves to be doing what he loves again, after such a tumultuous time."He deserves to get back to doing what he loves and more! And as a bonus we get to watch him in the big screen again," they penned.

Another person chimed in, urging Hollywood to publicly apologize to Depp.

"Woohoo! Well deserved of course," they tweeted. "Hollywood owes him a public apology."

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Depp’s return to the movies in a French-language project is a testament to his enduring popularity in Europe. Last year, both the Karlovy Vary and San Sebastian film festivals bestowed him with lifetime achievement awards.