Johnny Depp plays Louis XV in Jeanne du Barry, opening Cannes 2023

Jeanne du Barry, directed by French filmmaker Maïwenn, opened the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2023. Johnny Depp played King Louis XV of France, opposite Maïwenn herself as Jeanne du Barry, the king's last official mistress, who rose from humble origins to the court of Versailles.

The film was Depp's first major screen role in several years. His career had been hit by his legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard, including a 2022 US defamation trial in Virginia that he largely won. Several studios had distanced themselves from him in the preceding years, and his casting in a French production drew criticism from some commentators and campaigners.

The festival defended the choice of an opening film, and the film was largely spoken in French. Depp's appearance at Cannes was widely covered as a symbolic return to the film world, and the screening was reported to have received a lengthy standing ovation. Critical reviews of the film itself were more mixed. The premiere became a reference point for later discussion of whether Depp could return to mainstream Hollywood.