Credit: Inside the Magic Johnny Depp has signed a record-breaking deal with Dior as he continues to attempt his official Hollywood comeback.
Depp’s career has been on the decline since 2016, when his ex-wife – actress Amber Heard – filed for a restraining order, accusing Depp of physical violence.
What followed is years of tumultuous legal battles. After the couple’s divorce was finalized in 2016, the pair both pled their cases in court when Depp sued News Group Newspapers for libel when it described him as a “wife-beater” – and again in 2022 when Depp filed a defamation lawsuit against Heard after she published an op-ed detailing her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse.
Depp lost his first case but won the second when the jury determined that Heard had defamed Depp with actual malice. Heard countersued Depp, accusing his former lawyer of defamation, and also won.
But while Heard has continued to star in her most famous role of Aquaman’s Mera – appearing in the upcoming installment Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) – Depp’s career has continued its downward turn.
Not only did Disney ghost him in regard to his most famous role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but he was removed from the position of Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) and replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.
One of Depp’s strongest supporters was luxury fashion house Dior. Since 2015, Depp has been the face of its men’s fragrance Dior Sauvage – a collaboration that faced extreme scrutiny during his legal battles. However, Dior stood by the actor, with CEO Bernard Arnault crediting the “image of Johnny Depp” as one of the main factors behind the cologne’s “remarkable success.
Now, Dior is doubling down on its support. According to Variety, Dior has signed Depp to “the biggest men’s fragrance pact ever.” Sources estimate that the three-year deal is upwards of $20 million – eclipsing Robert Pattinson’s $12 million deal for another of the brand’s fragrances, Dior Homme. The average A-lister fragrance deal sits at around $2 million-$4 million per year.
This is the latest positive development in Depp’s career comeback, with the actor also pegged to direct the biopic Modi – Depp’s first directorial effort in 25 years – this autumn. Chronicling the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, this is set to star Riccardo Scamarcio, Pierre Niney, and Al Pacino.
Depp is expected to appear at this year’s Cannes Film Festival on May 16 for the world premiere of the historical drama Jeanne du Barry (2023), in which he plays King Louis XV. Later this month, he will also perform alongside Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart for a two-night Jeff Beck tribute at the Royal Albert Hall in London.