Johnny Depp’s new film ‘Jeanne du Barry’ set to open Cannes Film Festival

The actor’s first film since his bombshell trial against ex-wife Amber Heard is set to be released in a big way next month, and is being touted as his Hollywood comeback.

Johnny Depp's French film Jeanne du Barry will open the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Johnny Depp’s new film is set to open Cannes Film Festival next month.

The US actor, 59, stars in historical drama Jeanne du Barry, which marks his first big screen role since his bombshell defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard in Virginia last year.

Organisers of the French film festival announced overnight that the 76th annual event, which kicks off May 16, will open with Jeanne du Barry, which is directed by and starring French actress Maïwenn.

The period movie, in which Depp plays Louis XV, is not yet slated for an international release outside of France.

Nonetheless, its being touted as Depp’s re-entry to cinema following his court win in June last year.

Johnny Depp's latest film 'Jeanne du Barry' will open the Cannes Film Festival in May.

After a televised, six-week trial, Heard was ordered to pay Depp $US10 million ($14 million) in defamation compensatory damages and $US5 million ($A7m) in punitive damages after the jury decided she “acted with actual malice” when claiming to be a victim of domestic and sexual violence in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.

The jury did agree with one aspect of Heard’s claim — that she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer who dubbed her claims a “hoax” — and awarded her $US2m ($2.78m) in compensation and $0 in punitive fees.

Depp emerged as victorious in his court battle, though questions remain over whether he’ll be able to restore his blockbuster career. Picture: JIM WATSON / POOL / AFP

After a back-and-forth appeals process from both Heard and Depp in the months following the jury’s verdict, Heard announced on social media in late December that the former lovers had settled the case.

“I never chose this,” Heard wrote on Instagram at the time. “I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed.

“The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimised when they come forward.”

Heard is set to reprise her role as Mera in the Aquaman sequel, which will be released in theatres December.

Amber Heard is also set to return to the big screen in the Aquaman sequel later this year. Picture: Evelyn Hockstein/POOL/AFP

Meanwhile, Depp has been enjoying a relatively quiet life in southwest England in recent months.

In a March feature for Somerset Life magazine, the Pirates of the Caribbean star showed off the grounds of his 850-acre Somerset estate, which he bought in for $23.9 million in 2014.

The property features a dairy farm along with a 19th century-style mansion with 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, where Depp now resides.

“I just love places with character,” Depp told the magazine.

“I have various houses in various places and they all mean something special. I don’t have them just to say I own them, I have them for use and because they are a bit special.”

Depp also revealed that his low-key new lifestyle suited his “shy” personality.

“I just love places with character. British people are cool and will greet you as if you are a neighbour — without going over the top. I like going to places, seeing things and meeting people — but I’m not the great extrovert that people think,” he admitted.

“In truth, I’m quite a shy person. That’s one of the great things about Britain, and especially Somerset. I can just be me — and that’s nice.

“I can go into shops without being surrounded by people wanting selfies. I don’t mind that up to a point, but sometimes it gets a little too crowded.”

Originally published as Johnny Depp’s new film ‘Jeanne du Barry’ set to open Cannes Film Festival