Johnny Depp disrupts tradition and defies a nation in the trailer and poster for Maïwenn’s Jeanne Du Barry

Last Updated on April 5, 2024

Fluff your powdered wig and fill your snuffbox because a trailer for French filmmaker Maïwenn’s Jeanne Du Barry is here to give you a front-row seat to one of history’s most notorious scandals. The lavish footage depicts Johnny Depp as Louis XV and Maïwenn Besco as Jeanne Vaubernier, a woman willing to give a gloved middle finger to tradition to rise through society’s ranks. Decadent, scandalous, and filled with more drama than a season of Bridgerton, today’s Jeanne Du Barry trailer highlights Depp’s first significant feature since his public court battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Here’s the official synopsis for Jeanne Du Barry:

“Jeanne du Barry follows Jeanne Vaubernier (Maïwenn), a working-class woman determined to climb the social ladder, using her charms to escape her impoverished life. Her lover, the Comte du Barry (Melvil Poupaud), wishes to present her to King Louis XV (Johnny Depp) and orchestrates a meeting through the influential Duke of Richelieu (Pierre Richard). The encounter goes far beyond his expectations for it was love at first sight for the King and Jeanne. Through this ravishing courtesan, the king rediscovers his appetite for life and feels he can no longer live without her. Making Jeanne his last official mistress, scandal erupts as no one at Court will accept a girl from the streets into their rarified world.”

Maïwenn directs Jeanne Du Barry from a script she wrote with Teddy Lussi-Modeste and Nicolas Livecchi. Maïwenn and Depp lead the cast, with Benjamin Lavernhe as La Borde, Pierre Richard as Duc de Richelieu, Melvil Poupaud as Comte du Barry, and Pascal Greggory as Emmanuel-Armand de Vignerot du Plessis.

During his time, Louis XV reigned for 59 years, the longest in the history of France after that of Louis XIV. Though nicknamed “the beloved,” King Louis XV died as an unpopular ruler after being accused of corruption and debauchery. Depp has not appeared in a significant film since Andrew Levitas’s 2020 film Minamata.

Deadline previously reported that Maïwenn’s film is loosely inspired by the life of Jeanne Vaubernier, Louis XV’s last royal mistress at the Court of Versailles, after Madame de Pompadour. Left to the mercy of an uncaring society since birth, Jeanne du Barry defied the odds and struggled to survive on her way to becoming the object of Louis XV’s affection. Unaware of Jeanne du Barry’s status upon falling in love, Louis XV spit in the face of tradition to keep her close and rise through the ranks of society.

In addition to today’s Jeanne Du Barry trailer, Vertical and Fathom unveiled an official poster (shown below) for the upcoming period drama. Jeanne Du Barry walks with its head held high in theaters on May 2, 2024.