Brett Ratner to direct Johnny Depp & Marion Cotillard in The Libertine

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Brett Ratner has announced that his next directorial effort will be THE LIBERTINE, a film loosely based on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal. Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard are both set to star in the movie, and Ratner will be directing from a script by Ben Kopit.

Described as "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? meets The Wolf Of Wall Street," the comedic take on the 2011 incident will follow "a powerful French politician who endures house arrest in a luxury NYC apartment while awaiting trial for sexual assault against a hotel maid." Apparently the entire film takes place in one location, and Ratner says "it's one of the best scripts" he's ever read. THE LIBERTINE will more than likely be retitled though since Depp previously starred in the 2004 movie of the same name.

No word on a possible production start date, but the project is currently being shopped to international buyers at the Cannes Film Festival.

Depp can be seen next in ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS on May 27th, while Cotillard has ALLIED out on November 23rd, and ASSASSIN'S CREED on December 21st.