Film News - Week 03.04.23 - 09.04.23

Jonny Depp at the Cannes Film Festival, a new Harry Potter series from HBO and more in our weekly episode of Film News:

“Jeanne du Barry” Will Open The 2023 Cannes Film Festival:

The Hollywood Reporter reported today that Maïwenn’s latest film, “Jeanne du Barry,” will open the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on May 16th, 2023.

Maïwenn Le Besco is a French actress and filmmaker most known for her films Polisse and Mon Roi, which were also both films that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Her new film, Jeanne du Barry, follows Jeanne Bécu (Maïwenn), a young working-class woman hungry for pleasure and culture, who uses her intelligence to climb the rungs of the social ladder one by one. She becomes the favorite of King Louis XV (Depp), who, unaware of her status as a courtesan, regains through her his appetite for life. They fall madly in love, and, against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalizes the court.

The film also marks the next step in the comeback of actor Johnny Depp, who stars as King Louis XV, after the blockbuster defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. While the film’s success and impact will be unknown until well after the premiere, Depp’s presence will most certainly create a lot of public interest.

The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will also feature films like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and the long-awaited franchise film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

The Jury of this year's festival will be led by Ruben Östlund, winner of two Palm d’Ors and nominee at the 2023 Academy Awards in the Original Screenplay and Director category for his film Triangle of Sadness.

Dungeons and Dragons tops Box Office:

"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" made $71 Million worldwide during its opening weekend, rising to the top of the US-box-office charts, where it opened to a strong $38,5 million. With that, the fantasy game adaption catapulted last week's leader John Wick 4 into second place. The highly acclaimed action flick starring Keanu Reeves made a total of $28 million last weekend and now stands at a worldwide total of $245 Million.

HBO announces new Harry Potter Series:

HBO announced that a new Harry Potter series is now officially in development with J.K. Rowling on board as a producer. The series will cover the story of the seven novels with each season focusing on one novel. While the new format provides the opportunity to bring more of Harry Potter’s story to the screen, many fans worldwide have voiced their concerns since very few can imagine a remake of the beloved story without actors Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.

Barbie Trailer drops:

The new trailer for Great Gerwig's Barbie has just been released and caused wild social media reactions. The only 115-second-long, comedic trailer gives a good look at what we can expect from Gerwig and her two leads, Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken). The film will be released in movie theaters on July 21st where it will face a tough box office battle as it’s going up against Christopher Nolan’s star-packed biopic Oppenheimer.

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRyt3Ov4zz0

Subscribe to our Newsletter to never miss a post from our Screenwriting Blog! You can also contact us to get a free PDF copy of a script of your choice.