Johnny Depp is back on the big screen with “Jeanne du Barry.”
Helmed by co-writer/director/producer/star Maïwenn, the 18th-century-set drama follows the ill-fated romance between King Louis XV (Depp) and Jeanne Vaubernier (Maïwenn), a working-class woman determined to climb the social ladder. Jeanne’s lover, the Comte du Barry (Melvil Poupaud), presents her to King Louis XV (Depp) through the influential Duke of Richelieu (Pierre Richard). The meeting turns into an affair, and Jeanne becomes the King’s last official mistress. Scandal erupts as no one at Court will accept a girl from the streets into their rarified world.
Benjamin Lavernhe and Pascal Greggory also star, with Pauline Pollmann portraying Marie-Antoinette in the feature that opened the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
“Jeanne du Barry” was also written by Teddy Lussi-Modeste and Nicolas Livecchi. The film is produced by Pascal Caucheteux and Grégoire Sorlat.
The feature was acquired by Vertical out of Cannes and will open in the U.S. on May 2 as part of a special engagement via Fathom Events. Depp has shrugged off the label of “Jeanne du Barry” as his comeback film post-trial, saying at Cannes, “I don’t feel boycotted by Hollywood because I don’t think about Hollywood. I don’t have much further need for Hollywood myself. I think it’s a very strange, funny time where everybody wants to be themselves, but they can’t, they must fall in line, conform and if you want to lead this life, I’ll be on the other side.”
Depp added, “I was surprised to be chosen for this role. Yeah, I thought someone had made a terrible mistake. Maybe you want to try a French guy as King Louis. She thought about it for a second. I thought about it for a second. It was brave of her to choose some hillbilly from Kentucky. You need to figure out a way that the viewer can forget who you are, all the baggage you carry… that was my biggest hope that the viewer would forget who had in front of him.”
Depp is next set to direct biopic “Modigliani” about painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani. Al Pacino is slated to co-produce the film.
“Jeanne du Barry” premieres in theaters May 2. Check out the trailer below.
