Johnny Depp attempts career revival after Amber Heard trial with Jeff Beck album

After emerging victorious in his lawsuit against Amber Heard, Johnny Depp is already making plans to unveil his next creative endeavor — but you won't find it on the big screen.

In July, the Pirates of the Caribbean star will release an album with guitar legend Jeff Beck, who he has joined on stage in the U.K. for several shows after finishing his testimony in the defamation case.

"I'm gonna take this opportunity and tell you I met this guy five years ago, and we've never stopped laughing since," Beck said in the midst of a six-song set he played with Depp at a show in Gateshead, England, on Thursday. "We actually made an album. I don't know how it happened. It will be out in July." (You can see a fan video of the announcement here.)

Depp has long professed his love for music and his desire to be a rock star. He initially moved to Hollywood to pursue music, not acting, and he's belonged to various bands over the years — most recently, the Hollywood Vampires, which boasts rockers Alice Cooper and Joe Perry among its members.

Daniel Knighton/Getty Images; Scott Legato/Getty Images

The upcoming album will mark Depp's first artistic output since winning his defamation case against Heard, who he sued for $50 million over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote chronically her experiences as a domestic violence survivor. Heard never mentioned Depp by name in the piece, but his lawyers maintained that references to him are clear, and that the op-ed damaged his career and reputation.

On Wednesday, a Fairfax County, Va., jury found in Depp's favor, awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Judge Penney Azcarate reduced the punitive damages to Virginia's statutory cap of $350,000. The jury also found partly in Heard's favor with regard to her defamation countersuit, awarding her $2 million in compensatory damages and no punitive damages.

Depp was not in court to hear the verdict, having already flown to the U.K. to play with Beck, but he released a statement thanking the jury for giving him his life back. While the actor had argued in court that Heard destroyed his career and reputation, he seems to be getting the second chance he always wanted as a rock star. Whether Hollywood takes him back remains to be seen.

Below, see a video of the duo performing together:

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• Amber Heard plans to appeal verdict in Johnny Depp defamation case

• Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard: Looking back at the sensationalism of the defamation trial