Johnny Depp Returns To The Big Screen

Johnny Depp is returning to big screen!

He will appear as French Kind Louis XV at the Cannes Film Festival, his first appearance in movie theatres since his defamation trial last year.

'Jeanne du Barry,' a film about the king’s famous mistress, will open the festival, and run for two weeks in the South of France. 

The film, had backing from Netflix, and is directed by Maiwenn Le Besco, who also plays Madame du Barry, the famous mistress of the 18th century French king.

Cannes is one of the world's most glamorous film festivals, constantly attracting movie stars, billionaires, industry executives, paparazzi and fans to the French Riviera in order to attend premieres and haggle for worldwide movie rights.

21 films will be competing this year for the Palme d’or, the festival’s highest award, with entries stretching from Brazil to Senegal.

Some of the entries have directors such as Wes Anderson, Wim Wenders and Ken Loach. 

Screenings of films not in line to win include 'Jeanne du Barry' and Walt Disney's upcoming 'Indiana Jones,' along with Martin Scorsese’s 'Killers of the Flower Moon.'

'Jeanne du Barry' is set to be released in French cinemas next Tuesday, and was produced by Paris-based Why Not Productions on a budget of €20.6 million ($22.4 million) 

It was reported Netflix paid €3 million to stream the film. 

Netflix France are set to stream the film starting next year. 

This is Depp's first cinema role since the defamation trial.

He was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and both sides dismissed appeals in December to settle.

Early reviews of this film are mixed, being described as a lavish period piece.

One critic said Depp was "struggling to hide his American accent” in the film. 

“He sometimes seems to wonder if he hasn’t woken up in the middle of a costume party in a New York club."

It was likely he was paid €320,000 for acting in the film, which is just a fraction of what he made for starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. 

He hasn’t signed on for a new Hollywood project since the trial, but recently renewed a deal to be the image of the Dior perfume for a record $20 million.

It was said Depp was asked to play the part before the trial, and it wasn't hesitated to keep him for the role afterward.

The head of the festival, Thierry Frémaux, said he was only interested in Depp as an actor, whom he found “extraordinary” in the part. 

Depp’s next cinema project is set to see him direct and co-produce 'Modi,' a biopic of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani which is set to star Al Pacino and is to be shot later this year in Budapest.

The Cannes festival could be disrupted by protest this year due to a pension reform passed by Emmanuel Macron’s government, one of the leading unions in the country threatening to cut the electricity to interrupt the festival.