Johnny Depp appears as King Louis XV. in new promotional images for his highly anticipated film Jeanne du Barry, which is being made in the wake of his libel trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
In promotional images released Tuesday, Depp looked regal as the French monarch alongside co-star/director Maiwenn Le Besco, who plays Jeanne du Barry, King Louis’ mistress.
Instead of his signature brunette locks, Depp sports silver hair and King Louis’ famous tricorne hats and elaborate royal robes.
Regal: Johnny Depp appears as King Louis XV. in new promotional images for his highly anticipated film Jeanne du Barry, which comes after his libel trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard
Louis XV ruled France from 1715 until his death in 1774. He was married to the Queen of France, Marie Leczinska, but had a series of long-term affairs.
Jeanne was his last lover before he died.
The historical piece was filmed in the summer and will be released this year. A source told PEOPLE that Jeanne du Barry could premiere in May at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
This is not only his career comeback, but also Depp’s first film in French.
Director Le Besco has already had success directing critically acclaimed films such as Polisse and Mon Roi.
Also starring in the film are: Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Noémie Lvovsky, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory and India Hair.
While the film’s budget remains unclear, Depp reportedly has a $20 million entry fee for each role. Depp’s engagement with Jeanne du Barry was first teased in July and is his first film in three years.
In 2016, Heard, 36, accused the 59-year-old actor of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted from much of Hollywood, resulting in the loss of film roles.
In promotional images released Tuesday, Depp looked regal as the French monarch alongside co-star/director Maiwenn Le Besco, who plays Jeanne du Barry, King Louis’ mistress
The historical play was filmed in the summer and will premiere this year. This is not only his career comeback, but also Depp’s first film in French
A jury ruled that Heard’s claims, published in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, were libelous against Depp, and she was ordered to pay the actor $15 million in damages.
Depp was ordered by the same court to pay Heard $2 million after Heard sued him for defamation.
Heard appealed in early December, but the former couple recently agreed that Heard would pay $1 million to settle the case instead of going to a third trial.
Depp’s attorneys, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, said the actor was glad the “painful chapter” was over and confirmed he would donate the money to charity.
In Character: Instead of his signature brunette locks, Depp sports silver hair and King Louis’ famous tricorne hats and elaborate royal robes
Reign: Louis XV. ruled France from 1715 until his death in 1774
Last lover: Jeanne was his last lover before he died
In an Instagram statement, Heard confirmed the settlement but refused to accept blame, saying her life was “ruined” by the jury’s decision.
In 2020, a UK court ruled that 12 out of 14 incidents of violence Heard alleged were “essentially true,” and Depp was subsequently forced, at the request of Warner Bros.
But after his 2022 defamation lawsuit against Heard, the star has regained Hollywood attention.
Depp is reportedly in talks to star in another Pirates of the Caribbean movie and reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow following a $301 million offer from Disney.
directed by Maiwenn Le Besco; seen in February
Depp reportedly joked he wouldn’t return to the Pirates franchise even if he was offered $300 million, prompting Disney to offer him $1 million more.
In December, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said he would love to bring Johnny Depp back into the franchise.
His last film, Minimata, about war photographer W. Eugene Smith, was released in 2020.
The film flopped, grossing a meager $1.7 million worldwide on a budget of between $11 million and $13 million. Depp was paid $3 million for his role after “funding got shaky,” according to his agent.
Allegations: In 2016, Heard, 36, accused the 59-year-old actor of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted from much of Hollywood, resulting in the loss of film roles
Confirmed: A jury ruled that Heard’s claims, published in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, were libelous against Depp, and she was ordered to pay the actor $15 million in damages; Depp seen in July
The announcement comes as Netflix’s subscriber base and value have plummeted this year.
Netflix recently agreed with French cinema guilds to invest around $40 million in French films in order to regain interest in its productions.
Depp has a 23-year-old daughter with French singer Vanessa Paradis. Lily-Rose Depp, who is also an actress, was born in the posh Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Lily-Rose has also graced the Netflix homepage. The young actress starred in the 2019 Netflix film The King alongside Timothee Chalamet.
The streaming giant admitted it expects to lose millions of subscribers this year, and its stock has fallen over 70% year-to-date.
Heard and Depp seen in 2016
Settled: Heard appealed in early December, but the former couple recently came to an agreement that Heard would pay $1 million to settle the case instead of going to a third trial; Depp appear in May
In January, Netflix stock was worth over $600 per share, but that price has fallen significantly, and shares were trading at around $180 in June.
The drop in value and revenue has forced Netflix to cut costs, leading to the decision to lay off hundreds of employees and employees.
Many believe an obvious solution to some of Netflix’s recent woes would be to adopt an advertising model to boost revenue, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos has scrapped the idea.
“For us, it was all about the simplicity of a product at a price,” he said, adding, “I think it can handle some complexity now,” Sarandos told the New York Times in May.
“We make decisions based on the best information we have at this time. You won’t always be right, but how you help drive outcomes and the urgency you bring to it is what gets people through the storm. And the storms will come.’
‘Destroyed’: In an Instagram statement, Heard confirmed the settlement but refused to accept blame, saying her life was ‘devastated’ by the jury’s decision; Heard seen in May