Cannes director defends opening festival with Johnny Depp film: “The movie isn’t about him”

Brie Larson, Paul Dano and Julia Ducournau are among the eight people chosen to complete the main competition jury at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Cannes organizers announced Thursday morning in Paris.Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, who won the Palme d’Or last year for “Triangle of Sadness,” was previously announced as president of the jury. The presence of Ducournau, who won the top award for “Titane” in 2021, means that the last two Palme winners will be part of the deliberations to determine who succeeds them this year.Other jurors will be Moroccan writer-director Maryam Touzani, who was in Cannes last year with “The Blue Caftan”; French actor Denis Menochet, who recently appeared in Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid”; Zambian/British writer-director Rungano Nyoni, whose “I’m Not a Witch” premiered in Cannes; Afghan novelist and writer-director Atiq Rahimi, whose film work often adapts his own bestselling books; and Argentinian writer-director Damian Szifron, who landed an Oscar nomination for his 2014 Cannes film “Wild Tales.”The jury’s 5-to-4 split between men and women is typical for Cannes in recent years.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are "two troubled but fascinating human beings", according to the author of a new book. The 59-year-old actor and Amber, 37, were both involved in two high-profile court cases following their divorce in 2017 - but Nick Wallis insists he never found the trials to be "sordid or grim". Nick - whose new book is called 'Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story' - told the Daily Mail newspaper: "I thought they were two troubled but fascinating human beings, trying to find their way in the world.

“Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story,” due out May 17, covers the two jaw-dropping trials that unfolded in the wake of the couple’s stunning 2016 split.“I thought they were two troubled, but fascinating human beings, trying to find their way in the world,” Wallis told the Daily Mail.“They went through an extraordinary process, played out on a global stage. I never thought it was sordid or grim.”The Post reached out to Wallis for comment.A freelance journalist and broadcaster who has worked for the BBC, Private Eye, and ITN, Wallis says he is the only journalist to cover both trials extensively.Wallis claims to have attended London court nearly every day in 2020 to watch Depp lose his libel caseagainst The Sun, which had called him a “wife-beater.”He reported attending every day of last year’s Virginia trial, where the“Pirates of the Caribbean” star won his defamation case against the“Aquaman” actress over a 2018 op-ed Heard wrote for the Washington Post, claiming to be “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”“The Unreal Story” is said to provide insight into the sexual politics, culture wars, and intense social media attention surrounding the trials.

Well, it doesn’t sound like Johnny Depp wasted any time jumping right back into his role as a big ol’ movie star!

A little under two weeks ago, the Cannes Film Festival unveiled its lineup for the upcoming event. However, as we know with film festivals, the initial lineup is far from complete and more films can be added at any time.

The Cannes Film Festival has announced a raft of new additions to the Official Selection of its 76th edition running May 16 to 27.

Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux unveiled the bulk of the Official Selection for the 76th edition of the festival at a packed press conference in Paris on Thursday morning.

Speaking out. Johnny Depp’s notoriously private first wife, Lori Anne Allison, has made her position clear when it comes to her ex-husband’s battle against Amber Heard.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” will screen out-of-competition on May 20, while James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the final installment in the franchise begun in 1982 by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, will also screen in an out-of-competition slot.French director and actress Maïwenn will have the opening-night film with “Jeanne du Barry,” which stars Johnny Depp in his first film since his court battle with Amber Heard. And Pedro Almodovar’s short film “Strange Way of Life,” which stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, was also confirmed in advance of Thursday’s announcement.Other films screening out of competition include “The Idol,” directed by Sam Levinson and starring The Weeknd, and “Occupied City,” a film about Amsterdam from British director Steve McQueen.The Un Certain Regard section, which is typically devoted to films from less established directors, includes Australian director Warwick Thornton’s “The New Boy,” starring Cate Blanchett.Additional films are typically added to the Cannes lineup in the weeks leading up to the festival.

Refresh for latest…: While a handful of big-ticket Cannes Film Festival titles have already been revealed, the bulk of the Official Selection for the 76th edition will be unveiled today. General Delegate Thierry Frémaux is announcing the lineup for the May 16-27 event from Paris’ UGC Normandie cinema this morning and we are updating the list live below; you can also watch the livestream here.

The Cannes Film Festival will announce the lineup for its 76th edition Thursday morning at 11 a.m. Paris time (2 a.m. PT/5 a.m. ET). The press conference will stream live from the UGC Normandie cinema on the Champs-Elysées.

It’s been a long year for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

Today marks one year since the start of the 2022 Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial.

Is Johnny Depp back? Well, pas exactement…

Maïwenn, the director of Johnny Depp’s latest film, “Jeanne du Barry”, is being sued by Edwy Plenel, the editor-in-chief of Mediapart magazine, for allegedly assaulting him at a restaurant.

Johnny Depp is making his comeback to the big screen in the new movie Jeanne du Barry and he worked with French filmmaker Maiwenn on the project.

Actress-director Maïwenn, whose film Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp is set to open the Cannes Film Festival next month, has been accused of assaulting a journalist in a bizarre encounter at a Paris restaurant in February, according to multiple local French news outlets Friday.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French actor-director Maiwenn, whose latest film “Jeanne du Barry” starring Johnny Depp is set to open the Cannes Film Festival, is being sued by Edwy Plenel, the editor-in-chief of Mediapart magazine for allegedly attacking him at a restaurant. A police complaint was filed on March 7 by Plenel, accusing Maiween of aggression. Variety confirmed the filing with the Paris prosecutor’s office following local news reports. In the complaint, Plenel alleges that he was assaulted by Maiwenn in late February while eating at a restaurant in the posh seventh arrondissement of Paris. Maiwenn, who was sitting by herself at a nearby table, allegedly came to his table and grabbed him by the hair before spitting in his face without saying a word, then stormed out of the venue, leaving Plenel “traumatized by the incident,” according to the news outlet AFP, which quoted the police complaint.

Good afternoon Insiders, Jesse Whittock back in the hot seat. Johnny Depp, Disney and a bizarre UK government department called the Valuation Office Agency were in the international film and TV news this week. Make sure to sign up to the Insider newsletter by clicking here. Let’s go.

The Cannes Film Festival announces its Official Selections for its 76th edition next Thursday, but fans already know about some movies premiering on the Croisette this year.  Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers Of The Flower Moon” will be at the festival, for instance, as will James Mangold‘s “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny.” And the opening film for Cannes 2023 has already been confirmed, too: Maïwenn‘s “Jeanne du Barry,” which also serves as the onscreen return for Johnny Depp.