Johnny Depp As A Director: This Is What We Know About His Return

Johnny Depp's artistic career seems to be straightening up little by little. After several years without being present in any film project, as a result of his trial with Amber Heard, the actor announced that he is preparing to return to action. But the novelty of this news is that he will do it as a director, something he has not done for 25 years. What will his new movie be about?

According to information from the specialized media The Hollywood Reporter, the film will be called "Modigliani" and will be based on a play by Dennis McIntyre. The plot will tell part of the artistic life of the Italian Amedeo Modigliani, who became a legend of painting and sculpture in the second decade of the 20th century. In addition, it should be mentioned that the history of this character was marked by tragedy.

Although there are few details about this adaptation and who will be part of the cast, the only certain thing is that it will begin filming in Europe in 2023. Along with Depp,  Al Pacino and Barry Navidi will be in the production, a duo that worked with him in the 1990s. In fact, during that time the actor made his debut behind the camera, but his final product was not well received by critics.

Johnny Depp's directorial debut came at a time of ascendancy in his acting career. "The Brave" (1997) was also produced, written, and starred by him, alongside Marlon Brando. However, after its screening at the Cannes Film Festival, it received multiple negative reviews, a situation that forced it to cancel its commercial release in the United States. Since then, his career behind the camera has focused solely on music videos.

The aftermath of the trial with Amber Heard

Several months have passed since the defamation trial that pitted the actor against his ex-partner, Amber Heard, and which ended with a ruling in his favor. To say that everything is returning to normal would not be correct, since this situation was so mediatic that both suffered damage to their image. Even his future in the film industry remains uncertain.

Since the article that caused all the fuss was published in 2018, Depp has only been seen in one feature film in 2019 ("Waiting for the Barbarians") and another in 2020 ("Minamata"). After that last one, he worked in independent cinema, his career stopped once again to start facing what would be the aforementioned trial with Amber.

Likewise, all this also had a huge impact on future projects to which he was linked. As many know, the actor was removed from a possible sixth film in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, in addition to being replaced in the third installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" saga. At least in the short term, the fallout from the trial is making it difficult for Depp (like Amber) to return to work with Hollywood's biggest studios.

Also read: Amber Heard guilty: What is the Verdict of Social Networks?

On the other hand, in recent days People magazine echoed some court documents that included other accusations against Depp. On this occasion, actress Ellen Barkin accused him of alleged drug abuse before having sex for the first time. These statements were made in a video that was not shown at the trial at the request of the actor's legal team.

According to several specialized media, these testimonies pointed out that he was a violent and abusive person. Ellen, who dated Depp in the late 1990s, also described him as jealous and controlling. He also said that he spent most of his time drunk.

For now, the actor's professional horizon will continue to have a low profile. In addition to his return as director in "Modigliani", the project that will bring him back to acting will be "La Favorite", a French production where he will play King Louis XV. Johnny Depp is still a renowned figure in the industry and only time will tell if he will be able to star in another major Hollywood franchise.