Johnny Depp is King Louis XV in new promo images for actor’s comeback film

Johnny Depp appears as King Louis XV in new promo images for his highly-anticipated film, Jeanne du Barry, which comes after his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. 

In the promotional images released Tuesday, Depp looked regal as the French monarch beside co-star/director Maiwenn Le Besco, who plays King Louis’ mistress, Jeanne du Barry.

Instead of his signature brunette locks, Depp sports silver hair and King Louis’ famous tricorn hats and elaborate royal garb.

Regal: Johnny Depp appears as King Louis XV in new promo images for his highly-anticipated film, Jeanne du Barry, which comes after his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard

Louis XV reigned over France from 1715 to his death in 1774. He was married to Queen of France, Marie Leczinska but had a number of long-term affairs.

Jeanne was his final lover before he died.

The period piece was shot over the summer and will be released this year. A source told PEOPLE that Jeanne du Barry could premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in May.

Along with being his career comeback, this also marks Depp’s first film in French.

Director Le Besco has had success before, directing critically acclaimed films such as ‘Polisse’ and ‘Mon Roi.’

The film will also star: Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Noémie Lvovsky, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, and India Hair.

While the budget for the movie remains unclear, Depp reportedly has an up-front starting fee of $20 million for any role. Depp’s involvement with Jeanne du Barry was first teased in July and is his first film in three years.

In 2016, Heard, 36, famously accused the actor, 59, of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted by much of Hollywood resulting in loss of film roles.

In the promotional images released Tuesday, Depp looked regal as the French monarch beside co-star/director Maiwenn Le Besco, who plays King Louis’ mistress, Jeanne du Barry

The period piece was shot over the summer and will premiere this year. Along with being his career comeback, this also marks Depp’s first film in French

A jury determined that Heard’s claims, which were published in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, against Depp were defamatory and she was ordered to pay the actor $15 million in damages.

Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2million by the same courtroom after Heard countersued for defamation. 

Heard filed an appeal in early December, but the the former couple recently came to an agreement that Heard would pay $1million in order to settle the case instead of heading into a third trial. 

Lawyers for Depp, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, said the actor is glad the ‘painful chapter’ is over and confirmed he would donate the money to charity. 

In character: Instead of his signature brunette locks, Depp sports silver hair and King Louis’ famous tricorn hats and elaborate royal garb

Reign: Louis XV reigned over France from 1715 to his death in 1774

Last mistress: Jeanne was his final lover before he died

In an Instagram statement, Heard confirmed the settlement but refused to accept guilt and declared her life had been ‘destroyed’ by the jury’s decision.

In 2020, a British court ruled that 12 of 14 violence incidents claimed by Heard were ‘substantially true,’ and Depp was subsequently forced to resign from the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise at the request of Warner Bros. 

But, after his 2022 defamation suit against Heard, the star has regained Hollywood’s attention.

Depp is reportedly in talks to star in another ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film and reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow after a $301 million offer from Disney. 

The film will be directed by Maiwenn Le Besco; seen in February

According to reports, Depp allegedly joked he wouldn’t return to the ‘Pirates’ franchise even if he was offered $300 million, which led Disney to offer him $1 million more than that. 

In December, producer Jerry Bruckheimer expressed that he would ‘love’ to have Johnny Depp return to franchise.

His last film, ‘Minimata,’ about war photographer W. Eugene Smith, was released in 2020. 

The movie flopped, grossing a meager $1.7 million worldwide with a budget in the range of $11-13 million. Depp was paid $3 million for his role after ‘the financing became shaky,’ according to his agent. 

Accusations: In 2016, Heard, 36, famously accused the actor, 59, of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted by much of Hollywood resulting in loss of film roles 

Vindicated: A jury determined that Heard’s claims, which were published in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, against Depp were defamatory and she was ordered to pay the actor $15 million in damages; Depp seen in July 

The announcement comes as Netflix’s subscriber base and value have plummeted this year. 

Netflix recently agreed with French cinema guilds to invest around $40 million into French films in an attempt to recoup interest in its productions. 

Depp has a 23-year-old daughter with French singer Vanessa Paradis. Lily-Rose Depp, who is also an actor, was born in the upscale Paris suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Lily-Rose has also graced the Netflix homepage. The young actress starred opposite Timothee Chalamet in the 2019 Netflix movie The King.

The streaming giant admitted it expects to lose millions of subscribers this year, and its stock value has dropped over 70% since the beginning of the year. 

Heard and Depp seen in 2016

Settled: Heard filed an appeal in early December, but the the former couple recently came to an agreement that Heard would pay $1million in order to settle the case instead of heading into a third trial; Depp seem in May

In January, Netflix stock was worth over $600 a share, but that price has fallen substantially, and shares were being traded at around $180 in June. 

The loss of value and revenue has forced Netflix to cut costs, leading to their decision to fire hundreds of staffers and employees.

Many believe an obvious solution to some of Netflix’s recent issues would be an adoption of an advertising model to increase revenue, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos has dismissed the idea.

‘For us, it was all about simplicity of one product, one price point,’ he said, adding: ‘I think it can now withstand some complexity,’ Sarandos told the New York Times in May.

‘We make decisions based on the best information we have at the time. They are not always going to be right, but how you help navigate the outcomes, and the urgency you bring to it, is what gets folks through the storm. And the storms will come.’ 

‘Destroyed’: In an Instagram statement, Heard confirmed the settlement but refused to accept guilt and declared her life had been ‘destroyed’ by the jury’s decision; Heard seen in May