In project
The filmmaker Maïwenn has proposed giving life to the monarch in a film that will be shot in the vicinity of the Palace of Versailles
Things are starting to get better for Johnny Depp after losing his defamation trial in 2020 against the British tabloid ‘The Sun’, which accused him of being an abuser. Depp wanted to clear his name, but the judge found sufficient evidence that there had been domestic violence and the trial was resolved in favor of ‘The Sun’, pushing the actor into a very complex situation, which began to have certain effects on his career within from Hollywood.
The first was that Warner Bros expelled him from the ‘Fantastic Animals’ franchise, being replaced by Mads Mikkelsen, in ‘The Secrets of Dumbledore’, which will hit the screens on April 15. The second thing was that the film ‘The photographer from Minamata’ was premiered behind the scenes and without any promotion. It seemed that his career had hit rock bottom, at least in the United States, and he sought consolation in Europe, where he received prizes at the Karlovy Vary and San Sebastian Festivals, which the Donostia awarded him.
Now France claims him. The filmmaker Maïwenn (‘Polisse’ or ‘My love’) has offered him to play King Louis XV, the monarch who went from being the ‘Well Beloved’ to losing favor with his Gallic subjects due to corruption and the long string of of lovers he had during his reign, from 1715 to 1774, the longest in French history after that of his great-grandfather, Louis XIV, who ruled for 72 years. Louis XV died of smallpox and his disappearance was celebrated with hubbub in the streets of Paris. His grandson and his successor, Louis XVI, would inherit the kingdom, which needed many economic and political adjustments, which he did not do, and which, as is known, ended up guillotined. Maïwenn herself has booked a role in the film as Jeanne du Barry, one of the monarch’s mistresses. It is known that the film will be shot in the vicinity of the Palace of Versailles, quite possibly with the requirement that Depp act in French.
The film, whose title and exact plot are being kept secret (for the time being known as ‘Untitled Johnny Depp/Louis XV Film’), will be produced by Pascal Caucheteux and Gregoire Sorlat’s Parisian company Why Not Productions, with Wild Bunch International at distribution charge. This filming, which could begin in July, gives a break for Depp’s career to which, momentarily, Louis XV has fixed his life.
However, Depp’s conflict with his ex-wife Amber Heard has not ended. Amber and Johnny have a pending trial of competing domestic violence lawsuits set for April 11. The case of Amber and Johnny, which has filled the pages of tabloids and gossip magazines, and which has also given rise to a documentary miniseries for Discovery, ‘Johnny vs. Amber’, made up of two episodes, in which each of them is dedicated to a version of what happened.