Johnny Depp's epic comeback film Jeanne du Barry to open 2023 Cannes Film Festival

Johnny Depp-starrer historical drama Jeanne du Barry is all set to open the 76th Cannes Film Festival, reported news agency Associated Press. Directed by and starring Maïwenn, the film has Depp essaying the role of Louis XV, the King of France from 1715 until his death in 1774. Maïwenn plays the titular role of Louis' favorite courtesan, Jeanne du Barry. Louis Garrel, Pierre Richard, and Noémie Lvovsky also star. The movie has been touted as Depp's comeback following his tumultuous trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, who had accused him of mental and physical abuse. Depp and Heard were involved in a bitterly-fought defamation trial which ended with Depp coming out on top last year. 

The premiere of the movie is scheduled for May 16th at Cannes, with the French theatrical release on the same day, while Netflix holds limited rights for the post-theatrical window in France, and no plans for a wider release have been announced yet. 

Depp was earlier rumoured to reprise the role of Jack Sparrow in the multi-billion dollar grossing fantasy adventure Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. Reports had said that the actor had been offered $300 million to make a comeback and that Disney, the studio behind the franchise, had also apologised to the actor. 

Jeanne du Barry will likely evoke controversy, as Depp was considered done as an actor when accusations by Heard surfaced. Heard and Depp met in 2009 when they worked opposite each other in The Rum Diary. After dating for four years, they married in 2015.

Next year, Heard filed for divorce against Depp and also obtained a restraining order against him. In 2018, Depp sued News Group Newspapers for libel as the tabloid The Sun owned by the company had called him a "wife-beater." Depp went on to lose the London trial when the judge found Heard's claims "substantially true".

The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial in Fairfax, Virginia, though, ended in Depp's win. Depp had sued Heard for an op-ed she had penned for the Washington Post titled "I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change". While she had not named him, Depp filed for defamation anyway. The trial gained headlines not just because of the amount of celebrity involved, but also because of the dirty details of the contentious marriage that came to light. 

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