Even though it’s only been a decade since he was named the highest-paid star in Hollywood, the chances of Johnny Depp making a full-blown Hollywood comeback are about as slim as they’ve ever been.
French period piece Jeanne du Barry marked the first time he’d even set foot on a film set for more than three years, and the Cannes Film Festival opener only awards him somewhere between 10-15 minutes of screentime. Strangely, though, the historical drama has acquired a surprising new backer in the form of Depp’s newest pal Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saudi, a high-ranking member of Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission.
Much like Depp, the country has been seeking to rehabilitate its reputation in the eyes of the world, albeit under very different circumstances given the sportswashing accusations, reported human rights violations, and tales of government-sanctioned executions to have emerged over the last few years alone.
The former Pirates of the Caribbean star was recently given the VIP treatment on a visit to the kingdom, while the Red Sea Film Foundation has provided post-production financing and been credited as a producer on Jeanne du Barry, which in essence means a place where cinemas were banned until 2018 now has the prestige of being part of the opening movie for one of the most prestigious annual galas on the calendar, even though the end product almost certainly won’t be screened locally due to its content.
Will Smith was also a “special guest” invited over this past March per The Hollywood Reporter, and it’s hard not to notice that Saudi Arabia seems to be making a concerted play for A-listers who’ve seen their statuses take a significant and very public hit. One hand feeds the other, as they say, but it’s certainly a curious situation if nothing else.
