A first picture has been released of Johnny Depp as the controversial King Louis XV from upcoming historical romance drama, Jeanne du Barry.
Directed by French filmmaker Maïwenn, who also stars in the title role, the film follows the life of Jeanne du Barry, the last royal mistress of King Louis XV who climbed the social hierarchy from her working-class roots to become the king’s lover.
Alongside Depp and Maïwenn, the cast includes Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Richard, Melvil Poupaud, Noemie Lvovsky, Pascal Greggory and India Hair.
Filming on Jeanne du Barry began at the end of July in Paris and the Île-de-France region, after Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard concluded in June, according to Deadline.
From that trial, Depp was awarded $10million (£8million) in compensatory damages and $5million in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2million for her counterclaim against Depp. In July, Heard filed an official notice to appeal the outcome.
This marks Depp’s first major acting role since 2020’s Minamata, where he played war photographer W. Eugene Smith.
Depp was previously forced to leave Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts in 2020 after he lost his libel case against The Sun newspaper, which had described him as a “wife beater”.
Recently, the actor earned over £3million after selling his debut art collection, which featured celebrity portraits of Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Taylor and Al Pacino.
Jeanne du Barry is scheduled to be released on Netflix France following its theatrical release, with a release date yet to be announced.
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