Johnny Depp comeback film director Maiwenn accused of assaulting journalist by ‘spitting in his face’ at restaurant – weeks before movie Jeanne du Barry is set to open Cannes Film Festival

The director of Johnny Depp’s comeback film Jeanne du Barry, Maiwenn Le Besco, has been accused of assaulting a journalist at a restaurant – just weeks before the movie is set to open the Cannes Film Festival.

Jeanne Du Barry will see the 59-year-old actor return to the big screen for the first time in three years and after his victory over ex-wife Amber Heard in a defamation trial – with French actress Maiwenn also starring alongside Depp as Jeanne.

But it has now emerged that Maiwenn, 46, is being sued by Edwy Plenel, the editor-in-chief of Medipart magazine, for an alleged attack in late February which reportedly took place at an eaterie in the seventh arrondissement of Paris.

Maiwenn was accused of ‘aggression’ in a police complaint filed on March 7, and leaked Friday, reports Variety – with Plenel alleging Maiwenn – who was sitting alone at a nearby table – came to his table before grabbing him by the hair and spitting in his face without saying a word.

Maiwenn is then alleged to have stormed out of the restaurant leaving Plenel ‘traumatized by the incident.’

Alleged assault: Maiwenn, 46, is being sued by Edwy Plenel, the editor-in-chief of Medipart magazine for an alleged attack in late February which reportedly took place at an eaterie in the seventh arrondissement of Paris (seen in February 2022)

Le Figaro reports of the alleged incident: ‘The woman then hastily left the restaurant without anyone being able to intervene given the speed of the action’ with restaurant staff reportedly identifying her as the director.

Plenel’s lawyer, Pierre-Emmanuel Blard, reportedly told AFP, per Deadline: ‘The act is unique but is no less violent, and in a certain way traumatic even in the absence of physical damage. Even for this kind of act, there can be no impunity.’

Plenel reportedly says he  ‘personally never had any trouble’ with Maiwenn but that Mediapart did publish articles regarding rape accusations leveled against Maiwenn’s ex husband and father of one of her children, Luc Besson.

 DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Maiwenn and Johnny Depp for comment.

Jeanne du Barry is set to open Cannes Film Festival at the film’s world premiere on Tuesday, May 16 – with the movie released the same day in cinemas in France.

Depp previously appeared as King Louis XV in promo images for his highly-anticipated film which were released back in January. 

 Louis XV reigned over France from 1715 to his death in 1774. He was married to Queen of France, Marie Leczinska but had a number of long-term affairs.

Jeanne was his final lover before he died.

Jeanne Du Barry will see the 59-year-old actor return to the big screen for the first time in three years and after his victory over ex-wife Amber Heard in a defamation trial – with Maiwenn also starring alongside Depp as Jeanne (pictured)

The highly-anticipated period piece was shot over the summer.

Along with being his career comeback, this also marks Depp’s first film in French.

Director Le Besco has had success before, directing critically acclaimed films such as ‘Polisse’ and ‘Mon Roi.’

The film will also star: Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Noémie Lvovsky, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, and India Hair.

While the budget for the movie remains unclear, Depp reportedly has an up-front starting fee of $20 million for any role. Depp’s involvement with Jeanne du Barry was first teased in July and is his first film in three years.

In 2016, Heard, 36, famously accused the actor, 59, of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted by much of Hollywood resulting in loss of film roles.

A jury determined that Heard’s claims, which were published in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, against Depp were defamatory and she was ordered to pay the actor $15 million in damages.

Depp was ordered to pay Heard $2million by the same courtroom after Heard countersued for defamation. 

Heard filed an appeal in early December, but the the former couple recently came to an agreement that Heard would pay $1million in order to settle the case instead of heading into a third trial. 

Lawyers for Depp, Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, said the actor is glad the ‘painful chapter’ is over and confirmed he would donate the money to charity. 

In an Instagram statement, Heard confirmed the settlement but refused to accept guilt and declared her life had been ‘destroyed’ by the jury’s decision.

Depp previously appeared as King Louis XV in promo images for his highly-anticipated film which were released back in January

In 2020, a British court ruled that 12 of 14 violence incidents claimed by Heard were ‘substantially true,’ and Depp was subsequently forced to resign from the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise at the request of Warner Bros. 

But, after his 2022 defamation suit against Heard, the star has regained Hollywood’s attention.

Depp is reportedly in talks to star in another ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film and reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow after a $301 million offer from Disney. 

According to reports, Depp allegedly joked he wouldn’t return to the ‘Pirates’ franchise even if he was offered $300 million, which led Disney to offer him $1 million more than that. 

In December, producer Jerry Bruckheimer expressed that he would ‘love’ to have Johnny Depp return to franchise.

His last film, ‘Minimata,’ about war photographer W. Eugene Smith, was released in 2020. 

Accusations: In 2016, Heard, 36, famously accused the actor, 59, of domestic violence, which led to Depp being blacklisted by much of Hollywood resulting in loss of film roles 

Settled: Heard filed an appeal in early December, but the the former couple recently came to an agreement that Heard would pay $1million in order to settle the case instead of heading into a third trial; Depp seem in May

Heard and Depp seen in 2016

The movie flopped, grossing a meager $1.7 million worldwide with a budget in the range of $11-13 million. Depp was paid $3 million for his role after ‘the financing became shaky,’ according to his agent. 

The announcement comes as Netflix’s subscriber base and value have plummeted this year. 

Netflix recently agreed with French cinema guilds to invest around $40 million into French films in an attempt to recoup interest in its productions. 

Depp has a 23-year-old daughter with French singer Vanessa Paradis. Lily-Rose Depp, who is also an actor, was born in the upscale Paris suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Lily-Rose has also graced the Netflix homepage. The young actress starred opposite Timothee Chalamet in the 2019 Netflix movie The King.