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Johnny Depp has returned to the role of a director after 27 years in the upcoming filmModì – Three Days on the Wing of Madness. Al Pacino first approached Depp about the project in 1997 when they were filmingDonnie Brascotogether. When Pacino asked him to direct the film amidst his court battle with Amber Heard, he was quite surprised.
The Touristactor couldn’t believe the film was happening until he landed in Hungary for the shoot. It happened around the time when public support turned in his favor after he filed a defamation case against Heard. Depp’s last film as a director was the 1997 filmThe Brave, starring him and Marlon Brando.
Johnny Depp Couldn’t Believe He Was Handed The Directorial Role Amidst Court Battle
Al Pacinowas interested in a biopic based on Amedeo Modigliani since the 1970s, after being inspired by Dennis McIntyre’s playModigliani. Pacino discussed the script withJohnny Deppin the late 1990s during their time together onDonnie Brasco. It was unclear what roles both actors had in the film at the time.
Depp was once again approached by Al Pacino amidstAmber Heard‘s domestic violence case against him. It was a time when producers refused to work with him andDisney had fired him from the roleinPirates of the Caribbean. Stephen Deuters, the CEO of the production house IN.2 Film, shared with Variety that the actor was surprised and humbled by the offer.
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Deuters shared that Depp wasn’t expecting any producers to call him at the time. The producer felt that the projectModìwas something that the actor could fully immerse himself in. Deuters toldVariety:
Johnny was quite surprised, humbled and a bit blown away that Al was asking him to direct this. He wasn’t expecting anyone to ask him to direct a film at that particular moment. We had a lot going on at the time, this was even before COVID, and we just thought it would be a really positive thing for us to do, a slightly unexpected change of direction and something that he could really throw himself into.
Reuters shared that theTranscendenceactor didn’t believe his stint as a director until they began filming. The news about Depp directing the film was revealed in August 2022 after he managed to regain his name in the Depp v. Heard defamation trial (via Deadline).
ModìProducers Say Johnny Depp Was The Right Person For The Job
Modì co-producer Barry Navidi shared that Johnny Depp, as an artist, was the right director to bring the story of Modigliani to the screen. Navidi shared that he was impressed after seeing Depp put his all into the project. He shared that Al Pacino recognized him as a director with the sensibility and sensitivity of an artist. Navidi shared with Variety:
I think John is a very sensitive artist. He’s a painter, a musician, an actor, and an active director, which I got to witness up and close. I was quite impressed and just loved the way he worked all the time on set. We were, of course, thinking of several other directors before Johnny, as the project has been around for so long, but Al recognized that he was the right director because he has the sensibility and sensitivity of an artist.
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Modìstars Riccardo Scamarcio in the lead role alongside Stephen Graham, Al Pacino, Antonia Desplat, Bruno Gouery, Ryan McParland, and Luisa Ranieri. The official synopsis of the film, according to Variety, read that the film is“a seventy-two-hour whirlwind in the life of bohemian artist Amedeo Modigliani”and“follows a chaotic series of events through the streets of war-torn Paris in 1916.”
Modìis set to premiere at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival on June 19, 2025.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
