Netflix reportedly co-produces and plans to air Johnny Depp’s first movie after actor’s bitter defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard for describing himself as “a public figure representing domestic violence” in an editorial.

Bloomberg reports that Netflix pays part of the bill for French actress / director Maiwenn Le Besco The Favoritea period film centered on the King of France Louis XV (Depp) and Madame Jeanne Bécu du Barry (Le Besco), the king’s third mistress whose association with him ultimately led to her being guillotined during the French Revolution. Although neither Netflix nor Why Not Productions, the French studio behind the project, have announced The Favoritethe film is apparently set for a 2023 release in French theaters and a debut on Netflix France 15 months later.

word of The Favorite comes at a time when Netflix has seemingly prioritized court controversy on principle and laid off entire sections of its staff as employees expressed concerns about the corporate culture of the company. netflix concluded an agreement with the French film corporations ARP, BLIC and BLOC earlier this year and committed to investing at least 4% of its annual net turnover in France in the production of French and European feature films, including The Favorite.

There is currently no word on whether Netflix intends to release The Favorite in territories outside France.