Variety has heard that Maïwenn’s historical drama, “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, will have its global debut on the opening night of the 76th Cannes Film Festival. As a result of Variety’s article, the festival confirmed the information.
Depp’s three-year acting hiatus was the result of his protracted legal dispute with his ex-wife Amber Heard, which ended in a defamation trial Johnny won in December.
The turbulent relationship between the French monarch Louis XV and Jeanne du Barry, who he invited into the Versailles Palace to live nearby despite the fact that she wasn’t a noble, is the focus of the historical drama, which is Maïwenn’s sixth film. Louis XV, known as “the beloved,” eventually perished as an unpopular ruler after being charged with corruption. After Louis XIV’s, his 59-year reign was the longest in French history. When the production began, Depp hardly spoke any French, so it would be intriguing to see how he manages to pull it off without an accent.
The official summary is as follows: Young working-class woman Jeanne Vaubernier utilises her wits and charm to ascend the social rungs one at a time. She is hungry for culture and pleasure. Unaware of her status as a courtesan, she wins the king’s favour and helps him rediscover his zest for life. They experience intense affection. Jeanne relocates to Versailles, where her arrival scandalises the court, going against every propriety and manners.
Pascal Caucheteux and Gregoire Sorlat’s Paris-based Why Not Productions (“A Prophet”) produced “Jeanne du Barry,” with Goodfellas (formerly Wild Bunch International) managing international sales. The movie will be released in France via Le Pacte on May 16, the same day as Cannes’ opening night.
Maïwenn had previously appeared at Cannes in 2011 with “Polisse,” which took home the Jury Prize, and in 2015 with “My King,” which brought home a best actress prize for Emmanuelle Bercot. Additionally anticipated to perform in competition is “Jeanne du Barry.”
On April 13, the Cannes Film Festival will reveal its official selection. Two eagerly awaited American films, “Killers of the Flower Moon” by Martin Scorsese and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate” by Disney, have already been confirmed. The director of “The Square” and “Triangle of Sorrow,” Ruben Ostlund, who has won two Palme d’Ors, will preside over the jury.
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