Credit: DisneyActor Johnny Depp has finally stepped back into a role–one that he hasn’t attempted in years–and the debut of his reinventing will take place next month, much to the delight of his unmoved and diehard fanbase.
Related: Disney Refuses to Apologize to Johnny Depp, But He’s Already Gotten the Last Word Brilliantly
Johnny Depp’s Incomparable Success
Since 1990, actor Johnny Depp has seen one success after another in Hollywood.
He had small film roles in the early 1980s but became better known for his role in the television series 21 Jump Street. For Depp, however, television couldn’t be where things ended; the young actor had his sights set on the silver screen, after all. Lucky for him, Johnny Depp had all the makings of a Hollywood actor, and it didn’t hurt that he also doubled as an easy-on-the-eyes heartthrob.
In 1990, at the age of 27, the Owensboro, Kentucky native would take on a landmark role for which he would long be remembered–and one that would serve as the beginning of a long-time friendship with the quirky filmmaker (and former Disney animator) Tim Burton.
As Edward Scissorhands in the film by the same name, Johnny Depp gave Hollywood and the world its first look at the wild and incomparable talent that lay untapped inside of the young aspiring actor.
Related: Director & Filmmaker Tim Burton Says Actor Johnny Depp Is “Suburban White Trash”
For decades, Johnny Depp entertained offers from numerous directors and filmmakers to star in various blockbuster films in even more unique and varied roles. The majority of films in which Depp had a leading role went on to become multi-million-dollar films and franchises, and in 2008, 2010, and 2011, Johnny Depp headlined the list of the highest-paid actors in the business.
His success as one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood was not short-lived, to say the least.
Johnny Depp’s Fall From (Hollywood’s) Grace
Then came a divorce, an opinion editorial piece in The Washington Post, and a jealous ex-spouse seemingly determined to undermine Depp’s success and his good name.
Depp began to lose offers for titular acting roles in Hollywood in 2017 and 2018 when his ex-wife, Amber Heard, began to paint Depp as a violent domestic abuser.
Though a jury of Depp’s peers found that he had not, in fact, been the abuser in the couple’s short marriage at the conclusion of a defamation court case in June 2022, many moviehouses, including Walt Disney Studios and Universal Pictures, decided to distance themselves from Depp.
Related: Depp Told the Truth, the Jury Has Spoken, and It’s Time For the World to Get on Board
Following his defamation case against Amber Heard, Depp spent his days on tour in Europe with his long-time friend, classic rock legend Jeff Beck.
He also starred as King Louis XV in the French film Jeanne du Barry and even re-signed a multi-year contract as the spokesman for Christian Dior’s fragrance for men, Sauvage.
But apart from the few and far-between roles, Hollywood has been largely silent on the once-in-demand and highly sought-after Johnny Depp. But in true Depp fashion, the actor has taken it upon himself to change all of that, stepping back into a role that he hasn’t attempted in nearly 30 years.
Stepping Back Into a Role For the First Time in a Long Time
Depp played the role of director in a brand new film titled Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, which is set in World War I Paris, France, and tells the story of the chaos that ensued in the streets of Paris during the war. The story gets personal as it focuses on the life of the Italian sculptor and painter Amedeo Modigliani.
The move marks the first time in more than 27 years that Depp has taken a seat behind the camera and assumed the role of director in a film. His directorial debut was in 1997 in the film Brave, which was hailed by critics as “so bad” that most fans in the United States were not able to see it.
Johnny Depp reportedly also co-produced Modi, which is slated to debut in September at the San Sebastián Film Festival in San Sebastián, Spain, with his long-time friend and actor Al Pacino.
Per the official website of the San Sebastián Film Festival:
“Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness” marks the return to directing by Johnny Depp, who made his debut behind the camera with The Brave (1997) and received the Donostia Award for his lifetime achievement at the San Sebastian Festival in 2021.
Riccardo Scamarcio plays the Bohemian artist Amedeo Modigliani at the head of a cast also featuring Stephen Graham, Al Pacino, and Antonia Desplat. The film, a tale of art, love, and rejection, follows a 72-hour whirlwind of chaotic events through the streets and bars of a Paris torn apart during World War I.
The soon-to-debut biopic stars actors Al Pacino, Riccardo Scamarcio, Stephen Graham, and actress Antonia Desplat.
On Location in Budapest, Hungary
Some of those who had the chance to be a part of the film took photos with Johnny Depp on the set of the film in Budapest, Hungary, and posted them to X, formerly Twitter, saying:
Via vioricadelaclejani_ “We are especially honored to have participated in the production of the movie “Modi”, directed by the great actor Johnny Depp! A story about the life of the painter Amedeo Modigliani.”
Via vioricadelaclejani_ “We are especially honored to have participated in the production of the movie "Modi", directed by the great actor Johnny Depp ! A story about the life of the painter Amedeo Modigliani.”
Modi film set, Budapest, Hungary. pic.twitter.com/OFr5ekosC1
— ReemDepp – Johnny Depp is A Legend 🦇 (@ReemDepp) October 10, 2023
The San Sebastián Film Festival
The 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival begins on September 20, 2024, in San Sebastián, Spain, and will conclude on September 28.
The festival has been an annual event since 1953 and is considered by the film industry to be one of the world’s most prestigious and competitive film festivals.
This post originally appeared on Disney Dining.