Johnny Depp to direct first feature film in 25 years

Film set to depict Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani

Johnny Depp performs on stage at the TEC Awards during the Namm Show in California in 2017. AFP

Depp joins musician Jeff Beck on stage during a concert, in Gateshead, Britain on June 2, 2022. Reuters

US musicians Alice Cooper, left, and Joe Perry, right, of the Hollywood Vampires perform with Johnny Depp during the Rock in Rio Lisboa festival at Parque da Bela Vista in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2016. EPA

Johnny Depp, right, with Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller at a recording of the 'Help Album' as aid for Bosnia at Abbey Road Studios in London in 1995. Getty Images

Johnny Depp accepts the MTV Generation Award from musicians Steven Tyler and Joe Perry on stage during the 2012 MTV Movie Awards in California in 2012. AFP

Johnny Depp performs with Marilyn Manson at the 2012 Revolver Golden Gods Award Show in California in 2012. AFP

Johnny Depp is set to direct his first feature film in 25 years with Modi, about the Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani.

Depp, 59, who in June concluded his multi-million-dollar defamation case against his former partner Amber Heard, will co-produce alongside Hollywood great Al Pacino and Barry Navidi.

Based on the play Modigliani by Dennis McIntyre and adapted for screen by Jerzy and Mary Kromolowski, Modi will tell the story of the artist’s time in Paris in 1916.

It will offer a snapshot of a “turbulent and eventful” 48 hours during which, having long considered himself a critical and commercial failure, he solidifies himself as a creative force.

The project aims to start production in spring 2023 in Europe.

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial — in pictures

Amber Heard said last month that she stands by 'every word' of her testimony in her defamation trial, in which she was sued by former husband Johnny Depp. AFP

NBC journalist Savannah Guthrie interviewed Heard in June following the trial's conclusion. She revealed how her husband Michael Feldman consulted with Depp's legal team. Photo: NBC News

Heard says she doesn’t blame the jury for awarding Depp more than $15 million after a contentious six-week libel trial — it was later reduced to $10m. AP

Heard reacts with her lawyer Elaine Bredehoft after the verdict was read at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse, Virginia, US, in June. AP

Depp was in Newcastle, England, with musician Jeff Beck when the verdict was read. AP

Heard leaves after the jury's verdict. EPA

Heard and Depp prior to their wedding. The marriage lasted less than two years. AP

Heard in a scene from 'London Fields'. Photo: GVN Releasing

After losing his lawsuit against British tabloid 'The Sun', Depp said he planned to appeal the UK libel ruling, but then decided to sue his ex-wife in the US. AP

Heard speaking at the 4th Annual Women's March LA: Women Rising in Los Angeles in January 2020. Getty Images / AFP

Heard leaving the High Court in London in July 2020. Reuters

A video of Depp plays on a screen before Paul McCartney's performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in June. EPA

After speaking out about domestic abuse, Amber Heard feared she would lose her roles in the movies 'Justice League' and 'Aquaman', the latter of which she starred in opposite Jason Momoa. Photo: DC Entertainment

Depp gestures as he arrives at the Parco della Musica venue for the 19th edition of "Alice nella Citta" in Rome, Italy. AFP

Heard wearing an outfit from Monique Lhuillier at the Golden Globes in 2019. Reuters

Heard arrives on the red carpet for a Golden Globes ceremony. AFP

Heard watches the men's semi-final match at Wimbledon in 2018. EPA

Since the trial, Depp has been playing guitar on stage in front of fans. AP

Heard at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, in 2020. Reuters

Heard attends the Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2016. Getty Images

Heard wears a creation for the L'Oreal Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show presented in Paris, France, in 2021. AP

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Helen Mirren and Heard in Paris, France. AP

After Depp filed a lawsuit against her, Heard testified she lost her contract with L'Oreal. AFP

Depp inside the courtroom in April at the beginning of the trial. AP

Heard is styled backstage during Paris Fashion Week in 2021. Getty Images

Depp performs on stage at the Helsinki Blues Festival in June. EPA

British rock guitarist Jeff Beck and Depp perform on stage at the Helsinki Blues Festival. EPA

Depp waves to supporters as he departs the Fairfax County Courthouse after closing arguments. He never returned for the reading of the verdict. AP

Depp received the Gold Medal of Merit on the occasion of Serbia's Statehood Day in Belgrade, Serbia, in February. Reuters

Depp and Heard's former penthouse sits on top of Downtown Los Angeles’s famed Eastern Columbia Building and was recently put up for sale. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

There is a saltwater pool on the rooftop. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

There is an additional lounge area on the staircase landing. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

The apartment measures 1,780 square feet. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

The penthouse apartment has one bedroom. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

The kitchen and lounge area. Photo: Douglas Elliman Realty

“The saga of Mr Modigliani’s life is one that I’m incredibly honoured, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen," Depp said.

“It was a life of great hardship, but eventual triumph — a universally human story all viewers can identify with.”

Modi will be his second feature directorial credit after 1997’s The Brave, in which he starred alongside Marlon Brando.

It comes a week after Depp confirmed his first starring role since claiming victory in his now-infamous legal battle with Heard in Fairfax County, Virginia.

He will appear in the film Jeanne Du Barry, produced by French company Why Not Productions.

Mr Depp sued his former partner over a 2018 article she wrote for The Washington Post about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse, which his lawyers said falsely accused him of being an abuser.

Pacino, whose numerous credits include The Godfather, Scarface and Donnie Brasco, has previously worked with veteran producer Navidi on various projects, including The Merchant Of Venice (2004), Wilde Salome (2011), and Salome (2013).

Modigliani, who worked mainly in France, is known for his portraits and nudes featuring elongated faces and bodies.

Although not well received during his lifetime, his works have since become highly sought after.

He died of tubercular meningitis in 1920 aged 35 in Paris.