Johnny Depp as King Louis XV in the opening frame of The Favorite

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Deadline has published the first photo of Johnny Depp as King Louis XV in Jeanne Du Barry, which has already been tentatively titled The Favorite at the Russian box office. This is the actor’s first feature film role since Andrew Levitas’ 2020 film Minamata, about war photographer Eugene Smith. It is also Depp’s first project in French.

The plot of the upcoming film is based on the story of Jeanne Becou, ​​who was born in 1743 in the family of an impoverished seamstress. Thanks to her intelligence and attractiveness, she became the favorite mistress of King Louis XV. The film will be directed by Maiwenn Le Besco (“My King”, “DNA”, “Retouch”), she will also play Countess Jeanne Dubarry.

Filming began on July 26 and will last 11 weeks. Filming locations include Versailles and other Parisian castles. In early July, there were rumors that the project was financed by Netflix, but representatives of the streaming giant deny this information, emphasizing that the platform simply licenses the film for broadcast in France.

The premiere date has not yet been determined.

It is noteworthy that Depp’s return occurs simultaneously in all creative areas: not so long ago, the actor delighted fans with the announcement of the upcoming studio album, recorded with Jeff Beck – together they have already given several concerts. And at the end of July, Johnny’s work exhibited at the famous Castle Fine Art Gallery in London – and it was his debut as a professional artist. The paintings were sold in a few minutes. And this week it became known about his return as the face of the Dior Sauvage fragrance, which he has represented since 2015. According to insiders, the shooting of the new advertising campaign has already started in Paris. And the fee is estimated at “several tens of millions of dollars.”