Johnny Depp is thrilled to be back in the Hollywood game at long last and a source exclusively tells In Touch that his latest project is just one of many as he reconnects with old friends and business colleagues while quietly earning a fortune in the process.
“This is a long time coming for Johnny, he was quite literally in exile. But his win at trial over Amber opened the door for him to slowly rebuild his reputation and start working again,” the source reveals about the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s career following his 2022 defamation trial victory over ex-wife Amber Heard.
“He started with foreign productions and now he’s back in the Hollywood fold, “the source shares.
The Express reported in April that Johnny was in “advanced talks” for a sixth Pirates film, quoting a senior executive show said, “It’s very close to being a done deal.”
Johnny, 61, is “working with Penélope Cruz at the moment, which is fantastic because he has a great rapport and history with her, they go back decades.”
The pair are currently filming the thriller Day Drinker, marking Johnny and Penélope’s fourth film together behind 2001’s Blow, 2011’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express.
It’s the first big comeback vehicle for Johnny, who has only appeared in one movie – 2024’s Jeanne du Barry – since his trial with Amber, 39, ended.
“At one point, people predicted this day would never come, that he’d be ostracized from Hollywood forever, so this is very vindicating for him,” the insider explains about Johnny’s rejuvenated career. “He’s been in a much better headspace and as a result has been taking much better care of himself. He wants to come back his absolute best and have a full Phoenix rising arc.”
Johnny’s movie star status took a significant hit in 2016, when Amber filed for divorce and claimed the actor physically abused her.
The City of Lies star sued Amber for $50 million in a 2019 defamation suit. It came one year after she wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, calling herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse,” but didn’t specifically name Johnny.
The case went to trial in 2022 in Fairfax County, Virginia, where the newspaper’s headquarters is located.
Johnny’s talent agent, Jack Whigham, said in recorded testimony that after Amber’s op-ed was published, it was “impossible” to get a studio to hire the actor for any projects. “It was catastrophic because it was coming from a first-person account,” Jack testified, referring to Amber’s piece.
The Alice Through the Looking Glass star said on the stand that his career was “done” from “the second the allegations were made against me.”
“Once that happened, I lost then,” Johnny told the court. “No matter the outcome of this trial, I’ll carry that for the rest of my days … I’m suing her over defamation and the various falsities that she used to bring my life to an end.”
The six-week trial came to a conclusion on June 1, 2022, when a jury ruled in Johnny’s favor and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million dollars in punitive damages. Amber was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages stemming from a countersuit, but no punitive damages.
Johnny eventually agreed to a $1 million payment from Amber, which put the case to bed.
“Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye,” Johnny said in a statement after the verdict.
“False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me,” he continued. “It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career. And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.”
