After a warm reception at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Johnny’s Depp’s comeback movie Jeanne du Barry has secured a North American release after landing a domestic distribution deal. A French period drama centered on the life of King Louis XV’s titular mistress, Jeanne du Barry served as Depp’s first on-screen role since he won his highly publicized defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard in 2022. After spending much of his time away from public events, Depp was nearly brought to tears as he was showered with a 7-minute standing ovation following his latest film’s premiere.
Now The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that U.S. audiences will get their own chances to view the film for themselves thanks to a new domestic distribution deal with Vertical. At this stage the particulars surrounding Jeanne du Barry’s North American release, including theatrical options, have not been confirmed. This deal follows on the heels of the film’s successful opening at the French box office, with its French distributor proclaiming it the most successful Cannes opening-night film in a decade.
What Jeanne du Barry Means For Johnny Depp’s Hollywood Career
First coming into the public eye off the back of his roles in A Nightmare of Elm Street and the popular undercover police drama 21 Jump Street, Depp would famously rail against the teen heartthrob label he was initially saddled with. Bucking expectations and common box-office trends of the time, he would instead begin to pursue roles he found personally interesting, eventually becoming synonymous with a long succession of increasingly quirky characters. In recent years, however, his once-celebrated career has been significantly impacted by allegations of domestic abuse and his high-profile axing from the Fantastic Beasts and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises.
Once referred to as persona non grata in Hollywood circles, Cannes’ embrace of Depp’s role in Jeanne du Barry marks a significant step forward in the ongoing rehabilitation and restoration of the actor’s tarnished public image. However, as a French-language film, Jeanne du Barry’s potential impact on North American viewers will likely be far less widespread than the audience appeal he enjoyed before he was plagued by recent controversies. However, Depp has long since proven himself capable of leveraging his participation in less conventional fare and using it to drive future successes.
Yet, whether Depp can continue to drive the success of Jeanne du Barry toward a fully-fledged Hollywood comeback remains to be seen. While Depp’s next project will see him move behind the cameras and direct Al Pacino in an upcoming biopic based on the life of renowned Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, he still has quite a task ahead of him making up for the reputational damage he has experienced in recent years. Only time will tell if Depp will manage to make his return as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men.
