Johnny Depp is returning to the director’s chair for the first time in over 25 years.
After years away from Hollywood’s spotlight, the actor has unveiled the first trailer for Modi — a biographical drama about Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani — and announced its U.S. release date: November 7, 2025.
The film, produced by Al Pacino and Barry Navidi, marks Depp’s long-awaited comeback behind the camera since his 1997 film The Brave.
A Return to Direction
Depp’s new project was shot primarily in Budapest and Rome in 2024, with Riccardo Scamarcio portraying Modigliani — the Italian painter and sculptor famed for his elongated figures and turbulent life in early 20th-century Paris.
“I’ve always been drawn to outsiders, to creators who burned too bright,” Depp said in a press release.
“Modi’s story is not about art — it’s about survival through creation.”
The Story
Modi unfolds over 48 intense hours in Paris as the painter, broke and disillusioned, flees from the police while reflecting on his chaotic career and doomed love affairs.
The story captures Modigliani’s internal struggle between artistic passion and personal ruin — a tone reminiscent of Basquiat or Pollock.
Depp reportedly wanted to show “the artist as a man consumed by beauty and tragedy.”
The Cast
Alongside Scamarcio, the film features an impressive ensemble:
- Pierre Niney (Yves Saint Laurent) as fellow painter Maurice Utrillo
- Luigi Lo Cascio as poet Guillaume Apollinaire
- Antonia Desplat (The Nun II) as Jeanne Hébuterne, Modigliani’s muse and lover
- Stephen Graham (The Irishman) as art dealer Léopold Zborowski
“Depp directs like a painter,” said Graham. “Every frame feels composed by hand.”
Critical Response
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2025, earning a 7-minute standing ovation and strong praise for Depp’s visual storytelling and Scamarcio’s raw performance.
Critics highlighted the film’s elegant cinematography, muted palette, and emotional restraint — calling it a “mature, reflective comeback for Depp as a filmmaker.”
The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “Depp directs with melancholy grace, turning Modigliani’s chaos into poetry.”
The Trailer and Distribution
The first official trailer, released on October 10, showcases Scamarcio’s haunting transformation and the film’s moody Parisian aesthetic.
Sony Pictures Classics will handle U.S. distribution, while IN.2 Film (Depp’s own company) manages international rights.
The movie’s score, composed by Ludovico Einaudi, adds an ethereal quality to Modigliani’s descent into obsession.
Why It Matters
Modi represents a new chapter in Depp’s career — one focused on artistry rather than celebrity.
After a turbulent decade, this film positions him not as a movie star, but as a craftsman of image and emotion.
“This film feels like redemption,” wrote Empire Magazine. “It’s the Johnny Depp we forgot he could be.”
With Modi, Johnny Depp reclaims his place not just in front of the camera but behind it — painting his own redemption story one frame at a time.
Visually arresting and emotionally resonant, it’s the kind of film that reminds audiences why cinema still matters — and why some artists never fade.
