NEW YORK – The historical drama, “Jeanne du Barry,” starring Johnny Depp as King Louis XV, will open the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
Organizers of the French festival announced Wednesday that this year's edition will get underway with the period film directed by and starring Maïwenn, the French actress and filmmaker. She plays Louis XV's favorite courtesan, Jeanne du Barry.
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“Jeanne du Barry” has been billed as Depp's comeback film following his explosive trial last year with Amber Heard, his ex-wife. After both Depp and Heard accused each other of physical and verbal abuse, a civil jury awarded Depp $10 million in damages and $2 million to Heard. In December, they reached a settlement.
“Jeanne du Barry” will premiere May 16 at Cannes and, sticking with tradition, it will be released the same day in French theaters. Netflix is connected with the film but only loosely. The streamer licensed the film for the first post-theatrical window 15 months after its debut, and only in France. The cinema-rich country has stiff regulations guarding theatrical windows, which also relate to rules governing Cannes' competition lineup.
As yet, no U.S. release has been announced for “Jeanne du Barry.”
Cannes earlier announced that “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and Martin Scorsese's “Killers of the Flower Moon" will make their world premieres at the festival next month.