For the first time in 25 years Johnny Depp will direct a movie Modigliani. A quarter of a century ago he directed both himself and Marlon Brando in 1997’s The Brave.
This movie is based on Modigliani: A play in three acts by Dennis McIntyre published in 1980. This news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Al Pacino will produce the film along with Barry Navidi. IN.2, the European arm of production company Infinitum Nihil, is backing the film.(2)
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked in France. He is mainly known for his modern stylised portraits and nudes, characterised by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and figures.
Growing up in Italy, Modigliani studied the art of antiquity and the Renaissance. In 1906, at age 21 he moved to Paris, in an unusually mild January. Described as a ‘beautiful Italian boy’, he became the talk of Montmarte with his dark complexion and movie star good looks. (1)
While living in Bateau-Lavoir, sitting with a glass of red wine in a café, he would encounter Pablo Picasso for the first time who suggested he get himself a room in Montmarte where he would see everything from painting to women.(1)He would find the inhabitants of Montmarte, to be an eccentric mix. He found himself a vacant shack at the edge of the Maquis.
By 1912, Modigliani was exhibiting highly stylised sculptures with Cubists of the Section d’Or group at the Salon d’Automne.
In 1917 A French art dealer Berthe Weill (Paris 1865 – 1951) organised the only solo exhibition in Modigliani’s lifetime. His work was not received well during his lifetime and he enjoyed little success. He died of tubercular meningitis, at the age of 35, in Paris. After his death his work would achieve great popularity.
The film will focus on Modigliani in the short timespan of 1916 as he navigates a turbulent and eventful 48 hours that will become a turning point in his life, ultimately solidifying his reputation as an artistic legend.
The production is set to start in Europe in the spring of 2023, with casting to be revealed shortly.
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