Johnny Depp will return to directing after a 25-year hiatus
After 25 years, Johnny Depp has plans to make a return behind the camera. The actor is set to direct Modigliani, a biopic about the masterful Italian painter and sculptor. Filming on the project will reportedly begin in Europe in 2023, with casting to be announced imminently.
The saga of Mr. Modigliani’s life is one that I’m incredibly honored, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen,” said Depp, per The Hollywood Reporter. “It was a life of great hardship, but eventual triumph—a universally human story all viewers can identify with.
The film, which is based on a play by Dennis McIntyre and adapted for the screen by Jerzy and Mary Kromolovsky, marks Depp's first at the helm since he directed himself and Marlon Brando in 1997's The Brave. Set in Paris in 1916, Modigliani will follow the artist over a moving 48 hours of his young life.
Depp is producing the film through his IN.2 banner, the European branch of his production company, Infinitum Nihil. Al Pacino and Barry Navidi are set to co-produce alongside Depp.
“This project was very close to Al’s heart. Al introduced me to Modigliani’s play many years ago and I immediately fell in love with it,” Naveedi said. “This is a slice of Modi’s life, not an autobiography. It has been my dream to work with Johnny again - he is a true artist with an amazing vision to bring this wonderful story to the screen."
Depp's latest endeavor comes amid a variety of career moves he has made since winning a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp was awarded $10 million in a proposal that Heard accused of defamation in a 2019 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as a "public figure who represents domestic violence."
Besides his (re)directing appearances, Depp recently also performed rockabilly with Jeff Beck, and signed a seven-figure contract to become the face of Dior's Sauvage cologne. Depp even nodded unreservedly to the trial by joining TikTok, home to some of his most ardent fans, and thanked them for their support in a compilation video. Depp may be grateful for the social media outcry about him, but hopefully his confirmation on TikTok doesn't lay the groundwork for fans to portray future serious legal action, celebrities, or otherwise.