Johnny Depp’s First Big Movie After Amber Heard Trial Is Finally Being Released
Johnny Depp's new movie, Jeanne du Barry, will be released in the United States, but the exact date is unknown.
Johnny Depp’s prolonged legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard, and particularly his highly public defamation case against her, meant that he had to put his Hollywood career on hold for a while. Recently, he debuted his latest film since the end of that case, Jeanne du Barry, at the Cannes Film Festival. And Variety reports that it “has been acquired by Vertical for North America,” which means it won’t be long before United States audiences can check out this film that was formerly exclusive to France.
While Johnny Depp has had a very eclectic film career over the years, neither his biggest fans nor his biggest haters could have anticipated what his comeback movie would be. In Jeanne du Barry, Depp plays King Louis XV, and he must navigate the many responsibilities of his royal station with his growing affection towards his working-class flame, Jeanne Vaubernier.
On paper, this movie is a definite departure from the kinds of Hollywood roles like Pirates of the Caribbean that Johnny Depp is most known for. And since he recently declared that he has “no further need for Hollywood,” seeing him in smaller films like Jeanne du Barry may become the norm. Still, Depp fans will be pleased to know that the star really swings for the fences: not only is the whole thing a beautiful costume drama, but Depp got so into the role of King Louis XV that he, like the rest of the actors, speaks entirely in French throughout the film.
It’s a bold move for Johnny Depp, especially considering that this is his first leading role in three years. But if starring in this unconventional movie was considered a gamble for the star, it’s a gamble that has certainly paid off. Not only has the movie been killing it at the French box office, but Depp himself received a seven-minute standing ovation when the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Perhaps the strongest indication of the film’s success is how much French audiences have embraced Johnny Depp in the movie. Needless to say, it was a very bold move to cast a famous American actor to portray a famous Frech king, and many thought that French audiences would reject the movie for its apparent stunt casting. Instead, the general reaction has been that a larger-than-life actor was needed to portray this larger-than-life king, and Depp does an outstanding job in his portrayal of Louis as a man torn by both passion and duty.
Even if you’re not a huge fan of Johnny Depp, it may be worth watching Jeanne du Barry for its beautiful vistas: the entire movie was shot in France, with much of it shot directly in Versailles. That means there is plenty of natural beauty to enjoy alongside the immaculate costumes and the slightly-uncanny sight of Depp speaking fluent French throughout the film. Best of all, there is no Amber Heard anywhere to be seen, which means we’re already confident that this is a better movie than Aquaman 2 will be.
