Johnny Depp seen for the first time in upcoming movie since winning defamation case

The first teaser image of Johnny Depp in his next film project has dropped.

The picture comes just a few months after his courtroom defamation victory against ex-wife Amber Heard.

The new movie, Jeanne Du Barry, will see Depp step into the shoes of French King Louis XV.

French director Maïwenn will be at the helm of the movie and will also star alongside Depp.

Maïwenn will play the courtesan turned royal mistress named (you guessed it) Jeanne Du Barry.

The film will tell the story of Du Barry, who was the lover of the second-last French king, whose ineffective time as monarch paved the way for the French Revolution in 1789.

Why Not Productions.

Deadline describes the film as: "[King Louis XV], unaware of her status as a courtesan, regains his appetite for life thanks to their relationship.

"They fall madly in love. Against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalises the court."

This did actually happen.

History tells us that Du Barry was born into poverty and wound up becoming Louis XV's lover.

She was also hated by Marie Antionette for sullying the court with her commonness.

Antionette went on to marry the next king, Louis XVI, who was the last monarch to rule France. 

And - spoiler alert - Du Barry’s story doesn't have a happy ending. 

She, Marie Antionette, and her lover's son, King Louis XVI, all faced the guillotine.

So we can only assume the film's ending will be just as brutal.

Why Not Productions confirmed to Deadline that shooting for the film began on July 26 and will run for 11 weeks. Filming locations include Versailles, other chateaux in Paris and Île-de-France, and in the studio.

Reuters/Alamy.

The role of King Louis XV will be Depp's first film in three years, and the first since the Pirates of the Caribbean star's defamation win against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

Depp sued ex-wife Amber Heard over an an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post that was entitled: "I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change."

The jury unanimously found in favour of Depp, and Heard was ordered to pay her ex-husband $10.35 million ($AUD 14.2 million, £8.2 million).

Depp was also ordered to pay Heard $2 million ($AUD 2.7 million, £1.5 million) in a counterclaim.

Jeanne du Barry will be available to stream on Netflix France following its theatrical release, however a date for that has not yet been announced.