Johnny Depp Opener, Labor Protests, Scorsese And Slew Of A-List Parties: 76th Cannes Gets Underway

Zac Ntim and Mike Fleming Jr
·4 min read
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The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicks off this evening with a stacked two-week lineup of celebrated auteurs and Hollywood star power along with all the usual provocative characters.

The opening film, Jeanne du Barry, is the sixth feature from French actress-writer-director Maïwenn and features Johnny Depp as her lover, French King Louis XV. Depp is set to hit the red carpet alongside Maïwenn, and keen observers will be analyzing how he presents himself and how audiences react to his first leading role in three years, following the conclusion of two highly publicized legal battles with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

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He shot the pic around the time of his U.S. victory in the defamation case he pressed against Heard. This followed an earlier unsuccessful attempt to defend himself in an acrimonious UK trial against UK tabloid The Sun, where all the tawdry elements of a toxic marriage to actress Amber Heard were put on full display. The blowback prompted Depp to be dropped from Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts franchise. He later claimed he was boycotted by Hollywood, and he has yet to be cast in a major U.S. production since the UK trial.

Trades have done their best to turn all this into the overriding narrative of a movie covering French palace intrigue that took place over 200 years ago, gorgeously shot in the Versailles rooms where du Barry’s love affair with the king took place. Officials at Cannes have been on their guard not to give the pseudo-controversy much oxygen. Cannes head Thierry Frémaux largely rebuffed questions about Depp at a pre-festival presser on Monday, telling journalists he is only interested in Depp as an actor. Cannes competition jury member Brie Larson seemed taken aback when asked if she would see the film, given that it is not in competition and she’s already got plenty movies to watch that are. Her non-answer was quickly played for clickbait, taken out of context. The latest is testimony from a journalist who got spat on by the director. At least, Jeanne du Barry opens the festival with great expectorations, and it will be interesting to see if reviewers focus on the period film or the drama surrounding it.

Said Frémaux: “[Depp] is extraordinary in the film in a role which is difficult. I don’t know why he was cast. You will have to ask Maïwenn her reasons for choosing him.”

Depp is among a host of stars returning to Cannes this year with new films. Later this week, Harrison Ford will hit the Croisette alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the James Mangold-directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Martin Scorsese and his leading men Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro are bringing Killers of the Flower Moon. Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose, debuts her A24 drama The Idol alongside her costar, the mega music act The Weeknd and filmmaker Sam Levinson. The roster of festival parties is stacked, with festivities rolling up and down the Croisette. Here’s a (non-exhaustive) look at some of the hottest events.

This year’s edition also sees Cannes break its modest record for female directors in competition, with seven films by women competing for the Palme d’or. Among them is La Chimera, the latest pic from Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher, starring Josh O’Connor and Isabella Rossellini. Also in Competition is Wes Anderson with his latest A-list ensemble piece Asteroid City, starring Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright, and Tilda Swinton. There are also new films by Jonathan Glazer, Todd Haynes, and Wim Wenders, who will bask in the glamour of the red carpet alongside their casts in a festival that still prizes the decorum of tuxes and gowns worn by those lucky enough to snag tickets.

On the market side, Cannes has said that it expects a record 13,500 industry professionals to attend from more than 120 countries. This would beat the previous record of 12,500 onsite participants in 2019.

Elsewhere, this is the first edition of Cannes since widescale protests broke out across France in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial retirement reforms. With political tensions still high and the WGA writer’s strike pulling into its second week, there had been speculation that protests could hit the Croisette.

Last week, however, local officials banned all types of demonstrations and gatherings on the public highway for the duration of the Festival. Officials said the ban was necessary in order “to guarantee public order during an exceptionally big and international event.”

Local media reports suggest the CGT FNME (Fédération National des Mines et de l’Enérgie), France’s main energy workers union, is still preparing a protest outside the newly-refurbished Carlton hotel. The union previously threatened to cut power supplies for the Festival.

The Festival runs May 16 — May 27.

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