‘Jeanne Du Barry’ First Look: Johnny Depp’s Comeback Begins With New French Period Film From Director Maïwenn

One of the biggest entertainment stories of 2022 was the defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Yes, it was mostly an exercise in trashy, tabloid-y fodder, but it did seem to end with the public consensus that Depp was somehow a decent guy. We’re not going to relitigate the history between him and Heard, but it’s important to note as we move into 2023 and what seems to be a comeback year for the actor, starting with the upcoming film, “Jeanne du Barry.”

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Courtesy of the French publication, Premiere, we have our first look at the comeback film from Johnny Depp, titled “Jeanne du Barry.” As the images below show, Depp stars in the film as King Louis XV, the lover of the title woman, played by Maïwenn. Interestingly, not only is Maïwenn in the lead role, but she also serves as director and co-writer of the feature. She co-wrote the script alongside Teddy Lussi-Modeste.

“Jeanne du Barry” is the sixth film directed by Maïwenn, who broke out as a filmmaker thanks to her 2011 film, “Polisse,” which debuted at Cannes and won all sorts of awards that year. Some are predicting that “Jeanne du Barry” will mark Maïwenn’s return to Cannes since production on the film ended in October and we’re already getting a first look at the film. 

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Netflix boarded the project last summer, but a release date for “Jeanne du Barry” is unknown at this time. If the film does debut at Cannes, we can probably expect the film to show up in French theaters in 2023. Now, depending on whether or not Cannes and Netlfix can work out a deal, perhaps “Jeanne du Barry” will have to screen out of competition. Otherwise, we could see the film end up in another festival. 

Regardless of when or where “Jeanne du Barry” debuts, the official comeback for Johnny Depp is upon us. We’ll have to see how the public embraces him moving forward. 

You can see the first-look images from the film below: