Celebrity
Johnny Depp Returns To His First Film As King Louis XV Since Defamation Trial Win
It’s expected to be released in 2023.
Johnny Depp is set to star in his first film as King Louis XV in a Netflix-funded feature after his defamation trial win against ex-wife Amber Heard. The movie “La Favorite” marks a return for the 59-Year-Old after much of Hollywood blacklisted him following domestic violence accusations.
The budget of the new film is unknown, but Depp now has an upfront starting fee of $20million for any role.
The actor will play alongside Maiwenn Le Besco [pictured below], who will direct the film and play the main character, Jeanne du Barry, King Louis’s mistress. Before this, Le Besco had successfully directed critically acclaimed films, including Polisse and Mon Roi. Notably, the new movie will begin shooting this summer and is expected for released in 2023.
Accordingly, Depp is reportedly in talks to star in another Pirate of the Caribbean film and reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
According to reports, Disney is offering him $301million. However, it would be recalled that Depp had, amid his defamation trial, said he wouldn’t return to the franchise even if he were offered $300million. It possibly led Disney to offer him $million more than that. Depp’s last movie “Minimata,” hinged on war photographer W. Eugene Smith, was released in 2020.
But the movie flopped, earning just $1.7million globally with a budget of $11-13million.
According to his agent, Depp was eventually paid $3million for his role after the financing became shaky. Netflix funding the news of french film comes as its subscriber base and value have plummeted this year. The streaming giant admitted it expects to lose a million subscribers this year; its stock value has dropped over 70%.
As part of its recovery strategies, Netflix has recently agreed with French Cinema guilds to invest around $40million into French movies.
On the other hand, the actor has a daughter, 23, Lily-Rose Depp, with French singer Vanessa Pardasis. She has since also graced the Netflix homepage, staring opposite Timothee Chalamet in the 2009 movie The King. In 2020, a British court ruled that 12 of 14 violence incidents claimed by Heard were ‘substantially true,’ and Depp was then forced to resign from the ‘Fantastic Beasts franchise at the request of Warner Bros.
But, after his defamation suit against Heard, in which he was awarded $15 million, the star seems to be attracting interest again.
