Johnny Depp Confirms New Movie, Proving Himself to Disney

in Entertainment

Johnny Depp at D23

Credit: Disney

Johnny Depp is continuing to build on his impressive career.

Over the last several months, Johnny Depp has been at the center of attention over the defamation trial and subsequent legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard. Depp was named the victor in the trial against Amber Heard, and though his ex-wife vowed to appeal the results, she ultimately elected to settle with Depp out of court, paying the actor $1 million.

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow looking inside a treasure chest in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise
Credit: Disney

With the legal proceedings officially finished, many fans have wondered what might be next for Johnny Depp. The actor moved to Europe and finished filming for his new movie, Jeanne Du Barry, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival several weeks ago. Though Depp is in Europe currently, many fans have held out hope that he might make amends with Disney and return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to play the role of Captain Jack Sparrow again.

Of course, that hasn’t unfolded as of yet. Pirates of the Caribbean Producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed last year that Disney had developed two scripts for the sixth installment of the franchise, one that starred Margot Robbie and one that had a younger cast. At the time of the interview, neither of the plans involved Johnny Depp. Of course, Depp might have something to say about that in the near future, though.

Johnny Depp wearing glasses
Credit: ABC

Depp recently confirmed that he would be directing his second film. The biographical film Modi, centered around the life of Amedeo Modigliani and starring Riccardo Scamarcio, Pierre Niney, and Al Pacino, is scheduled to commence filming in Budapest during the autumn of 2023. Proton Cinema will oversee the production in Hungary. Recently showcased at Cannes’ Marché du Film, the project is a collaboration between producer Barry Navidi through Harry Navidi Productions, Johnny Depp through his London-based IN.2.Films, Infinitum Nihil, Salome Productions, and The Veterans, as reported by Budapest Reporter.

The screenplay, co-written by Polish-born scriptwriters Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Kromolowski, delves into a 48-hour period in 1916 Paris, following Modigliani’s life. Depp, while attending Cannes, revealed that the film will be shot in both Budapest and Paris. In early May 2023, Depp was sighted in Budapest, leading to speculation from the local media about his presence being linked to a promotional video for the concert he would be performing in Hungary’s capital city in July 2023.

Depp also confirmed that he had cast Al Pacino to play the role of the real-life art collector Maurice Gangnat. The movie will also star Riccardo Scamarcio (Modigliani) and French actor Pierre Niney (Maurice Utrillo).

Johnny Depp plays guitar in the desert in a Dior ad
Credit: Dior

With Depp now directing a project, he’s proving to Disney that he doesn’t need the company to be successful and continue his career. With more people and studios– at least in Europe– showing that they want to collaborate with Johnny Depp, this should be considered a step in the right direction for Disney feeling as if they can work with Depp again, as well. Though, it should be noted that Depp isn’t fond of Disney at all, and he’d have to be offered quite an impressive contract to return to the company.

Even so, Depp being involved in more projects is most definitely a good thing if he’s ever going to return to Disney, or Hollywood, in general. While there were rumors that Depp could play a role in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2, it seems that this will not happen, so we’ll have to keep waiting to see what might be next for the actor in terms of major Hollywood projects if they ever even come to fruition.

What do you think is next for Johnny Depp’s career? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!

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