Johnny Depp has an album on the way with Jeff Beck after defamation trial victory
It seems Depp is already planning a comeback after winning over $10M in damages from ex-wife Amber Heard
What does a middle-aged white movie star do after winning over $10 million dollars he didn’t need in a defamation case that pushed sinister fandom to its limits? Release an album with Jeff Beck, apparently.
On Wednesday, Johnny Depp won his suit against ex-wife Amber Heard on Wednesday to the morbid delight of a jarring percentage of the internet. Depp accused Heard of defamation in relation to statements she made in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. Heard’s legal counsel have said she plans to appeal the verdict.
But while Heard seemingly prepares to go back up to bat, Depp has already zeroed in on his comeback: A proposed project with British guitarist Beck. Depp joined Beck for a surprise set in Sheffield, U.K. last week, while the jury was still deliberating his case, and he took the stage again last night at Beck’s Gateshead, U.K. show. It was there that Depp announced their musical partnership is far from over.
“I’m going to take this opportunity to tell you that I met this guy five years ago and we haven’t stopped laughing since,” he said onstage. “We actually made an album. I don’t know how it happened. It will be out in July.” No official release date, title, or additional information has been made available about the project at this time.
At the Gateshead show, Depp and Beck performed covers of songs by Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and more. Depp opened the show with an untitled, unreleased track about the actress Hedy Lamarr.
In addition to the album, Depp also already has another role in pre-production: a starring turn as King Louis XV in his first narrative feature in almost three years, Jeanne Du Barry. For the alleged “seismic impact” Heard’s statements had on Depp’s “life and career,” whatever cancellation may have occurred didn’t seem last. Depp’s victory (and the cheering fans who brought glitter-glue posters to the courthouse) has left national domestic violence organizations terrified about the precedent it sets for survivors who speak out, especially those without privilege or influence. But hey, at least the world has a chance of getting another exhaustingly bloated Pirates Of The Caribbean film.