The idea of the "movie star" has been dwindling over the years, as actors have become less and less of a draw to bring people into the theaters. But if there is anyone who is still capable of creating headlines, it's Johnny Depp. The A-list actor became memorable for the slightly off-kilter characters he's portrayed on screen, from Edward Scissorhands to his most famous role as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp likes being quirky and, for better or worse, it's made him one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood.
True, we could debate over the various peaks and valleys his career has experienced over the years, but it can't be argued that Depp doesn't leave his mark. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor knows how to keep himself busy. He has been in some of the best roles out there, and is only going to continue to do so, despite being absent from film and television for a few years following his trial with Amber Heard. Here is what the star has coming up.
Jeanne Du Barry (2024)
His first post-trial movie, Jeanne du Barry is all about a young woman who is trying to climb the ranks of her social sphere, using her mind and sexuality.
Johnny Depp plays King Louis XV, the king that she has her eyes set on. The film premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and while the reviews for the actual movie have been mixed from attendees at the festival, Johnny Depp’s performance in the movie had been critically praised. He even received a several-minute standing ovation from the crowd.
When updating this in March 2024, Jeanne du Barry is finally getting a US release date! The Hollywood Reporter said that the film will be opening in 500 theaters beginning on May 2, 2024. Vertical has landed the domestic rights, so that means it won’t be long before US audiences will finally be able to see it.
Modi (Director) (TBA)
While this isn’t Johnny Depp acting, he stepped into the director’s chair for the first time in twenty-five years, according to Deadline, when he directed Modi. The film is a biographical feature about the life of Amedeo Modigliani, an Italian artist, and is based on the play by Dannie McIntyre. It’s going to tell the story of the painter and sculptor, and his time in Paris during the early 1900s as well as the legacy he left behind.
Several actors will appear in the film, including Riccardo Scamarcio, Pierre Niney and one of the most known names in Hollywood, the legendary actor Al Pacino,, among many other roles.
Filming began on the film in September 2023, according to Variety, and in January 2024, Deadline confirmed that filming had wrapped. The article also featured several behind-the-scenes pictures of Depp directing, as well as the actors.
A release date is still unknown, but I for one can’t wait to see what Depp has directed because I think it’ll be great.
Recent Johnny Depp Releases
Since we’re talking about Johnny Depp, we can also talk about some of his recent releases. In 2019, he released a movie called Waiting for the Barbarians, a war film that also starred Mark Rylance, and Robert Pattinson.
Depp was also in Minamata, a biographical drama film, in which he starred as W. Eugene Smith, an American photographer who traveled to post-WWII Japan in the 1970s and documented the lives of citizens who were suffering the effects of mercury poisoning and developing Minamata disease. Both films were relatively under the radar movies, but received equally good praise.
The last big-budget movie that Depp was a part of was when he played Grindelwald in the first two Fantastic Beasts films, but he was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen for the third one.
Depp also had a voice role in the Apple TV+ series, Puffins, an animated children’s series where he voiced the main character. He reprised that role later on in Puffins Impossible, a spinoff of the same show.
