Johnny Depp started acting at a young age, so he’s got a long resume full of beloved roles as a character actor. But most recently he’s been synonymous with his relationship with Amber Heard, and their long, public legal battle. After the defamation case verdict was revealed, he largely stepped away from the industry. His first post-trial movie is a French drama titled Jeanne Du Barry, and he recently opened up about the director taking a chance on him, saying he was “endlessly grateful.”
Depp’s career was seemingly in jeopardy as a result of the Heard controversy, especially after he was fired at Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. He hasn’t done any major Hollywood movies, but he returned to acting in Jeanne Du Barry. That movie is directed by Maïwenn, and Depp posted on Instagram about their collaboration, saying:
Endlessly grateful to the incomparable Maïwenn for choosing me as her King of France in Jeanne du Barry. Now playing across the UK & Ireland. JD.X
Given how much Depp’s defamation case was covered on TV, it makes sense that he might want to spend some time away from the spotlight in Europe. But he’s still an actor by trade, and he’s seemingly happy to Maïwenn for allowing him to return to work with Jeanne du Barry. And the movie will soon be playing stateside, thanks to Fathom Events.
The trailer for Jeanne du Barry showed off Depp’s French in a tense drama about desire and jealousy. Depp’s sweet tribute to his director was shared to his whopping 28.7 million followers, and there are plenty of fans in the comments section who want to see the film for themselves. So it should be interesting to see how it performs as it hits more markets.
It’s unclear if/when Johnny Depp will return to Hollywood for a major film project, but he’s been exploring the industry in unique ways. In addition to Jeanne Du Barry, Depp is also directing a movie starring Robert De Niro. Still, there are certain fans who want to see him return to the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
The trajectory of Depp’s comeback is still unknown. Shortly after the verdict was revealed he cameod in the VMAs, so it seemed like he was jumping right back in. But at the time of writing this story, he hasn’t signed on to any acting projects in Hollywood. Depp has a ton of fans, but there will inevitably be naysayers if he does make a return, especially after the harrowing allegations of abuse made by Amber Heard while she was on the stand.
Jeanne Du Barry will be released in the United States on May 2nd courtesy of Fathom Events. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next trip to the theater.
