Johnny Depp is making a comeback. Still, it’s hard to say how quickly (if at all) he’ll float back into blockbusters. The public may have forgotten in the wake of his trial with Amber Heard that the final years of his pirate career saw one story after another about his unreliability and star manners pour into the public, but the producers certainly kept that in mind. In addition, Depp himself stated that he no longer needs Hollywood for anything, which is certainly true for a man with millions on his account. However, this does not mean that Depp has given up on cinematography as such. Europe became his refuge.
As an actor, Depp now attracted attention in Venice in the drama Jeanne du Barry – The King’s Mistress , directed by the French actress who goes by the stage name Maïwenn , who also played the title role. Depp cut King Louis XV.
The film received an average response from critics with a 49% ratio of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and a slightly above-average rating from the wider festival public, as indicated by 6.8 out of 10 points on the IMDb database. More important than the exact reception of the film is the fact that Depp was welcomed with open arms by a prestigious European film festival.
Now comes the next step. Variety reports that Depp has started filming his directorial opus Modì in Budapest . So far, he has directed the only feature film, the 1997 drama The Fighter , which again received slightly above-average reception and, despite the participation of Marlon Brando , fit into Depp’s later, more mass-appreciated filmography.
Modì will tell the story of the Italian artist Amadeo Modigliani, the author of many coveted and scandalous paintings. It is an adaptation of the stage play by Dennis McIntyre. The story takes place during a turbulent forty-eight hours in Paris in the middle of the First World War. The main role will be played by the Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio , and Luisa Ranieri , known mainly from Sorrentino’s last film The Hand of God , will play his side . Al Pacino was given the nod for the role of an American art dealer .
Budapest represents Paris in the film, in a few weeks the shooting will move to Italy itself. A substantial part of the crew is also Italian, including cinematographer Nicolo Pecorini . For Johnny Depp, it will be an important milestone that will indicate the future direction of his career as well as his rediscovered responsibility. Directing a film is not just like that. If Depp pulls it off, he’ll at least show that he’s learned from his previous mistakes. We wish him and his crew the best.
See also the list of the best movies of the year according to the Kinobox database.
