Johnny Depp is returning to Tinseltown as a director after two years away from the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor is set to helm the upcoming drama movie, Modigliani, with legendary Hollywood star Al Pacino set to co-produce alongside Barry Navidi.
Based on the play by Dennis McIntyre, Modigliani tells the story of the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani’s time in Paris in 1916. Although considered a failure for most of his artistic career, the film will show the 48 hours that became a turning point in the man’s life – which would lead to his name going down as a legend in art history. The publication revealed that filming for the production is currently set to begin “in the spring of 2023”, and that the cast of Modigliani will be announced soon.
“The saga of Mr Modigliani’s life is one that I’m incredibly honoured, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen,” Depp said about his upcoming directorial gig. “It was a life of great hardship, but eventual triumph — a universally human story all viewers can identify with.”
Besides Depp’s return to directing after 25 years following his work on the 1997 movie The Brave, the film also marks the reunion between Pacino and Navidi, who have previously worked together on several films such as the romance movie Merchant of Venice and Wilde Salomé.
Navidi shared that his long-time collaborator is looking forward to the thriller movie, hinting that it may be a passion project. “This project has been very close to Al’s heart. Al introduced me to the play, Modigliani, many years ago, and I instantly fell in love with it,” Navidi explained.
“This is a slice of Modi’s life and not a bio. It’s been a dream of mine to work with Johnny again — he’s a true artist with an amazing vision to bring this great story to the screen.”
Currently, there is no release date for Modigliani. While we wait on more details, why not check out our guides to the best musicals and the best animated movies of all time.