Johnny Depp Will Play King Louis XV In First Film In Three Years

Johnny Depp has been spotted in France as he prepares to film his first movie in three years.

It was first reported in January that Depp had been cast as French king Louis XV in Maïwenn Le Besco’s new historical drama, titled Jeanne du Barry. While she will star as Louis XV’s last mistress, Jeanne du Barry.

His move to the continent marks his first film project since his high-profile defamation win against Amber Heard earlier this month.

Alamy

In photos obtained by Metro, the 59-year-old actor was seen in Paris on Monday, 27 June, and was escorted into his hotel by security.

The movie is expected to begin shooting on location at the Palace of Versailles and around Paris for the next three months.

While little is known about the plot, Louis XV reigned over France for 59 years, from 1715 to 1774, but was accused of corruption towards the end of his rule and died an unpopular monarch.

It's the first film Depp has been cast in since he completed shooting Minamata in 2019, a film about war photographer W. Eugene Smith.

Minamata was released last year 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.

His cinematic return comes weeks after a Virginia jury ordered his ex-wife Amber Heard to pay him $15 million (£12 million) in damages over domestic abuse claims she made in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post, which they agreed defamed Depp.

The amount was later capped at $10.35 million (£8.27 million) by Judge Penny Azcarate while Heard was also awarded two million dollars (£1.6 million) in damages via a counterclaim in a separate verdict.

Alamy

However, on 24 June lawyers for both Depp and Heard were unable to reach a last-minute settlement, with the latter’s legal team indicating she’s likely to appeal the verdict, which would land them both back in court. 

Elsewhere, Depp responded to rumours he will return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after a report suggested he could be making amends with Disney.

Depp starred in the first five Pirates films as protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow, but he was not expected to return for the sixth instalment that is currently in the works.

On Monday, 27 June, a report from PopTopic cited a source who claimed Disney was 'very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp'.

The report claimed Disney was preparing a $301 million contract deal for Depp, using it 'as a formal apology' and a way to get him back into the franchise. The source also alleged that Disney had reached out to Depp to ask whether he would be interested in making a comeback before he began his defamation trial against Heard.

In light of the report, a representative for the actor shut down speculation telling NBC: "This is made up."

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