While Johnny Depp has not appeared on-screen for several years, and recent news of him starring in a French Netflix film is circulating, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor actually already made his return to the screen as a puffin. Johnny Depp’s recasting in the Fantastic Beasts franchise and subsequent hiatus from the film industry began in 2018 after his ex-wife, Amber Heard, published an opinion piece claiming that Depp abused her. This article led to a defamation case that aired publicly in the summer of 2022, causing a complete internet uproar.
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Though public opinion broadly swayed toward Depp’s side, and he won the majority of the case, the actor’s name and reputation inevitably became attached to the dramatic, intense trial. Oddly, Depp will make his highly anticipated movie return as Louis XV in French Netflix film La Favorite. While perhaps not the big comeback many would expect, Johnny Depp actually already returned to screen in an even stranger role.
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What Is Puffins – Johnny Depp’s Return Explained
Since 2020, Johnny Depp has been a part of the animated children’s TV show Puffins, the spin-off series Puffins Impossible, and will return for the Johnny Puff Secret Mission movie. He voices wise mentor puffin Johnny Puff. Puffins released in 2020 through Apple TV+ as a spinoff of the 2019 movie Arctic Dogs, and follows five puffins working for a wily walrus called Otto. The series produced 250 five-minute episodes which led to Puffins Impossible, and Johnny Puff’s next adventure will be when Depp reprises his role in the 2023 movie Johnny Puff Secret Mission. This is arguably an even more unlikely Johnny Depp movie career comeback than La Favorite.
In Johnny Puff Secret Mission, Puff and his friends begin a secret mission to once again overthrow Otto Von Walrus and save the town of Taigasville. Johnny Puff Secret Mission is slated to come out in March 2023. Despite the intense speculation surrounding Johnny Depp’s future, Johnny Puff Secret Mission has flown largely under the radar. The Amber Heard legal battle meant sweeping Depp’s puffin-based return under the rug until the hype around the trial finally deflated.
Why Johnny Puff Is Perfect For Depp
Johnny Puff has provided a perfect role for Johnny Depp over the past few years because it allowed him to work in the industry while staying under the radar. The claims of abuse and the consequent Amber Heard trial saga might have turned audiences off from Depp if he had attempted a more adult performance, but children are much less likely to know about the situation. Furthermore, because the series is animated, Depp would not need to show his face at all, maintaining his low profile.
Despite the messiness of a very public defamation trial, Johnny Depp’s return to the film industry is highly anticipated. Since Depp is not only starring in Johnny Puff Secret Mission, but also as Louis XV in La Favorite, his movie career is creaking back into motion. With his brief bout as a puffin and his foray into French film, it is clear that Johnny Depp’s movie return will be as full of surprises as his career has always been.
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