Johnny Depp Movie ‘Jeanne Du Barry’ Gets Saudi Backing, New Images Revealed

Melanie Goodfellow
·2 min read
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The Red Sea International Film Festival has announced its foundation is getting behind French director Maïwenn’s period drama Jeanne du Barry, in which she co-stars as the titular 18th Century courtesan Madame du Barry opposite Johnny Depp as King Louis XV.

A first image of Maïwenn in character alongside Depp as Louis XV has also been unveiled internationally having been splashed in the French press earlier in January. Images of Depp in character were first teased in the summer.

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Since its creation in 2019, the Red Sea film Foundation has supported the development, production, and post-production of 170 films from the Arab world and Africa. Jeanne du Barry marks its first international co-production with France.

Shot in France and currently in post-production, Jeanne du Barry is Maïwenn’s sixth feature which she also co-wrote with Teddy Lussi-Modeste and Nicolas Livecchi.

The ambitious drama is freely inspired by the life of Jeanne du Barry, Louis XV’s last royal mistress at the Court of Versaille, after Madame de Pompadour.

Born into poverty, she is a young working-class woman hungry for culture and pleasure who uses her intelligence and allure to climb the rungs of the social ladder one by one.

She becomes Louis XV’s favorite companion. Unaware of her status as a courtesan, he regains his appetite for life thanks to their relationship. They fall madly in love. Against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalizes the court.

The feature also stars Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Noémie Lvovsky, Melvil Poupaud, India Hair and Pascal Greggory.

The film has been acquired by Netflix for France after local theatrical release by Le Pacte, and is produced by Why Not Production Company’s Pascal Caucheteux and Grégoire Sorlat, Johnny Depp’s production company IN.2, La Petite Reine and France Télévisions, with the Red Sea Film Festival serving as executive producers, and Wild Bunch International serving as sales agent.

“We are thrilled to be supporting Maïwenn’s upcoming feature Jeanne du Barry,” said Red Sea CEO Mohammed Al Turki. “This is a film that immediately interested us, it’s an incredibly unique and ambitious biographical feature and a testament to our commitment to supporting new talent and collaborating with world-class writers, directors and producers. We hope this collaboration will strengthen the ties between Saudi and French cinema and the first of many international films that we can support that advocate for women filmmakers.”

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