Johnny Depp fans will soon have the chance to watch his first movie after three years.
Vertical on Wednesday announced that it has acquired North American distribution rights. jeanne du barryIt’s the French-language film that opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and is Depp’s first film since the controversial defamation lawsuit with 59-year-old Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard.
The film premiered in France on May 17, coinciding with its world premiere at the festival, and grossed $2.56 million in its first week at the French box office – the best of a decade for a film that opened the international film festival, according to it. A press release.
Written and directed by French filmmaker Maïwenn, Depp stars King XV of France, who reigned from September 1715 until his death in 1774. He plays Louis. According to an official summary, she bewitched the monarch, who after their meeting “rediscovered her appetite for life and felt she could no longer live without it”.
Synopsis: “A scandal erupts as no one at the court would accept a girl from the streets into their elite world, making Jeanne his last official mistress.”
Courtesy of Vertical
The film received mixed reviews from critics upon its release at Cannes last month, after which Depp was seen in tears as he received a seven-minute standing ovation from the crowd at the screening. Variation from twitter showed.
At a press conference for the film during the international film festival, the actor said that he “thought it was very brave”. [director Maïwenn] Choosing a villager from Kentucky to take on the royal role” required him to learn all his lines in French.
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When asked by a reporter how he felt about being cast in the French film, Depp said, “It’s like there’s a terrible typo somewhere.” “Maïwenn and I were in the wrong room at the same time. I didn’t feel any hesitation about the man, the character and all that or necessarily the language, I didn’t find it particularly scary.”
“It’s like running through the raindrops, but my question to Maïwenn when we first met was: ‘Perhaps you would like to try a Frenchman as King Louis XV?’ “Depp continued. “He thought for a moment. He said, ‘I thought about that too. No, I want you to do it.'”
“So yeah, I was instantly ready for the role, I wanted to do it. I just, I don’t know, wanted to make sure I wasn’t stepping out of my box and stepping into someone else’s box,” continued Depp. “Plugging into other people’s things, their culture, their thoughts, their quirks. But I’m glad he persisted and I persisted.”
Maïwenn co-wrote the film with screenwriters Teddy Lussi-Modeste and Nicolas Livecchi. Apart from him and Depp, the film also stars French actors Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Melvil Poupaud and Pascal Greggory.
Jeanne du Barry There is no North American release date yet.