Johnny Depp to Hit the Big Screen In Weeks!

For years, there was no one bigger and better than Johnny Depp. The actor seemed to be able to do no wrong, making hit movie after hit movie, including Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

But Depp is probably most well-known for portraying Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s hit live-action Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Related: Johnny Depp Co-Star Reveals the Shocking Truth About Her Experience Filming Pirates of the Caribbean Series

For nearly 15 years, Depp was a core part of the Disney family, playing Captain Jack — the worst pirate you’ve ever heard of — for five films. Disney changed the live-action game with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. Things only got better from there, and Disney released four more films. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest came out in 2006, At World’s End premiered in 2007, On Stranger Tides in 2011, and Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017. 

Things changed drastically for Depp in 2018, when The Washington Post published an OpEd by Depp’s ex-wife, actress Amber Heard. In the OpEd, Heard accused Depp of domestic violence during the time they were married.

The backlash was swift and unrelenting. Depp went from starring in nearly five movies a year to struggling to get jobs. Universal dropped him and replaced him with Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Disney also parted ways with Depp, cutting him from a planned sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film.

Depp sued Heard for defamation and, after a six-week trial, was awarded $15 million in damages in June 2022.

Depp Back on the Big Screen

Johnny Depp has not starred in a live-action film since 2020, when he played photographer W. Eugene Smith in Minamata. But that is about to change.

On May 2, Depp’s newest film, Jeanne Du Barry, will be released in 500 theaters around the country. Depp will portray King Louis XV.

Per Deadline:

Based on true events, Jeanne du Barry follows Jeanne Vaubernier (Maïwenn), a working-class woman determined to climb the social ladder, using her charms to escape her impoverished life. Her lover, the Comte du Barry (Melvil Poupaud), wishes to present her to King Louis XV (Depp) and orchestrates a meeting through the influential Duke of Richelieu (Pierre Richard). The encounter goes far beyond his expectations for it was love at first sight for the King and Jeanne. Through this ravishing courtesan, the king rediscovers his appetite for life and feels he can no longer live without her. Making Jeanne his last official mistress, scandal erupts as no one at Court will accept a girl from the streets into their rarified world.

Related: Fans Concoct Solution to Save the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise

Jeanne Du Barry first premiered in 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation.

Could Depp Return to Disney?

During Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard, the actor spoke about being let go by a company that made billions of dollars off the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He said he would never return to the Mouse House, even if they offered him $300 million and one million alpacas.

Related: Controversial, Yet Exciting New Details Emerge for Pirates of the Caribbean 6

However, after the jury ruled in favor of Depp, an executive said that the company never says never. It was the first time they had publicly spoken about Depp potentially returning. Pirates of the Caribbean executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer also said that he would love to work with Depp again in the future.

As far as we know, Disney is still working on a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film, but will likely not star Johnny Depp. In September 2023, Disney greenlit a Pirates story created by The Last of Us showrunner, Craig Mazin. Mazin said that he was shocked Disney bought it, considering even he thought the story was “weird.”

Will you be seeing Depp in Jeanne Du Barry when it hits theaters in May? Let us know in the comments!

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