Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Disney franchise, will return to the international stage this weekend with a showing of his new movie Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2024) at the Rome Film Festival.
Directed by Johnny Depp, Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness charts the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. Starring Riccardo Scamarcio as the titular artist Modigliani, Depp’s movie–which was based on “Modigliani” by Dennis McIntyre–also stars Stephen Graham as Léopold Zborowski and Scarface icon Al Pacino as Maurice Gangnat.
“Indeed, the highlight of an otherwise unremarkable edition of the 10-day-long fest will undoubtedly be Johnny Depp’s appearance on Saturday to present the biopic Modi, which premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival and chronicles three chaotic days in the life of Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani,” The Hollywood Reporter stated on Depp’s huge role in closing out the festival.
The biopic will receive the Capri Cult Award on Friday evening, prior to Depp’s presentation of Modi on October 26. “The producer of Modi, Barry Navidi, a long-time friend of Al Pacino, will pick up the Capri prize on Friday night,” THR notes.
Modi debuted at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival on September 24, 2024, where the movie was met with praise and, in most cases at film festivals, a standing ovation. “Overall, Modi appeared to be generally well-received by the San Sebastian audience, who sporadically cheered and clapped during the screening,” wrote Deadline.
Depp attended the premiere of his film at San Sebastián, dedicating the movie to his late friend, the musician Jeff Beck. The actor joined Jeff Beck on tour in 2022, famously appearing onstage at one of the United Kingdom tour stops amid his highly publicized legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp began work on Modi shortly after the defamation trial concluded in 2022. The trial, which took place in Fairfax County, Virginia, under the eye of Judge Penny Azcarate, lasted six weeks and found both Depp and Heard of defaming the other.
The defamation trial came two years after Depp lost his libel trial and subsequent appeal in London, England. The Pirates of the Caribbean star sued The Sun newspaper and parent company News Group Newspapers LTD for libel not long after launching his defamation case against Amber Heard following the actress’s penning of the now-disclaimed op-ed in The Washington Post.
The back-to-back trials saw discourse ignite online with the Depp and Heard lawsuits saturating social media. With Modi, Depp seems to be officially back in the public eye, and fans are equally enthusiastic to discuss the celebrate the actor.
In an Instagram post shared by Depp_Head4ever, fans of the actor have weighed in on the news his new movie will close out the prestigious Rome Film Festival. One comment read, “So proud and happy for him. There’s no stopping this man. Proof that you can’t keep a good man down.”
Another comment read, “So proud of JD and team Modi,” while another user said, “You are amazing, and you know the quality of work and individuals who will compliment your work. To see this movie is going to be so exciting.”
Following its showing at the Rome Film Festival, Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness, will be released nationally by Be Water on December 5, 2024. Johnny Depp directed the film from a screenplay by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Kromolowski. It is produced by IN.2 Film, Depp’s film production outfit.
As for Depp’s future in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the jury is still out on whether the actor will step back into the boots of Captain Jack Sparrow. Disney has remained non-committal on the issue, while producer Jerry Bruckheimer has publicly stated he would love to see Depp return despite confirming that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will feature a new cast of characters.
