Shaheer Ahmed
The Cannes Film Festival will open with a French historical drama starring Johnny Depp King Louis XV, the festival’s organizers revealed on Wednesday.
The renowned 18th-century courtesan who wins the king’s affections is portrayed in the title role by French director Maiwenn, who also appears in the film.
It is Depp’s first significant acting role following his high-profile at Johnny Depp king louis xv, defamation lawsuit with his ex-wife Amber Heard over her allegations that he had physically abused her.
His new film will be shown on the first night of the Cote d’Azur festival on May 16, and will be released on the same day across French cinemas, as is customary for the opening night feature.
The film received investment from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation, it was announced in January.
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The foundation, formed in 2019 in a sign of the country’s loosening of social restrictions, has already funded some 170 African and Arab movies, it said, but “Jeanne du Barry” is its first foray into European cinema.
This year’s Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 16-28, already has some heavyweight Hollywood fare in its line-up, with “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” getting its world premiere there, along with the latest from Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.
The full line-up is due to be announced on April 13.
