Johnny Depp has been confirmed to star in his first new film role in almost two years, after claiming he had been 'blacklisted' by Hollywood in the wake of abuse allegations.
Depp is set to play the controversial French king Louis XV in an as-yet-untitled movie directed by and co-starring the French actor and filmmaker Maïwenn. The film is expected to begin shooting later this year on location at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris.
It's the first film Depp has been cast in since he completed shooting 2020's Minamata, a film about war photographer W. Eugene Smith. Minamata was released last month to little fanfare in the United States following a lengthy delay after the film was dropped by its original studio, MGM, following the Depp scandal.
In the wake of a court case, in which a judge found that Amber Heard was telling the truth in her allegations of domestic violence against Depp, the Pirates of the Caribbean star claimed the film industry has been 'boycotting' him, with the star most notably dropped by Warner Bros. from the third Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them film, in which he was set to reprise his role as the primary villain, Grindelwald.
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However he has continued to find favour in European cinema, recently receiving honorary awards celebrating his career at the Karlovy Vary Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival in the Czech Republic and Spain respectively. He has also continued to appear in various commercials, and frequently trends on Twitter as a result of his fanbase's efforts to restore his reputation.
Additionally, Variety reports that in 2020 Depp received an award in France at the Deauville American Film Festival.
Depp's latest film is expected to be shot in French, requiring the actor to brush up on his language skills. While he's not a native French speaker, he did spend several years living in Paris during his marriage to French actress Vanessa Paradis, with whom he has a daughter, the actor Lily Rose Depp, who has herself acted in French – most notably in the Netflix film The King.
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Maïwenn has won plaudits for her films in France, with her most recent movie, DNA, competing at the 2020 Cannes film festival. Her 2011 debut Polisse won the Cannes jury prize.
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Topics: Johnny Depp, Film and TV