Johnny Depp Announces First Movie Role After Amber Heard Divorce Battle

With his divorce drama behind him, Johnny Depp is now free to focus on his work.

The actor was recently cast in a film about the mysterious shooting deaths of rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., both of which remain unsolved mysteries. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Depp has been cast as detective Russell Poole of the Los Angeles police department. The officer was, in real life, tasked with investigating the deaths of both musicians. The film, titled “Labyrinth,” is being directed by Brad Furman, and is based off the book “LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal.”

The new role may provide Depp, 51, with a much-needed chance to redeem himself following bad press from his divorce and a box office bomb. During his divorce, accusations arose that he had been abusive to wife Amber Heard throughout their marriage. In addition to her claims, several pieces of evidence were made public, including a photo of a message Depp had sprawled on a mirror in a mixture of blood and paint after allegedly cutting off the tip of his finger. The mirror had “Billy Bob” and “Easy Amber” written on it. Depp is said to have believed that Heard had been unfaithful with Billy Bob Thornton while the pair worked on a film together. According to TMZ, the “Magic Mike XXL” star claimed that her husband was drunk and high on ecstasy when the incident occurred.

Days prior, TMZ obtained a video of the two engaged in a heated argument. Depp and his lawyers accused the native Texan of leaking the video intentionally, though they denied there was any truth to that. The following day Heard released a statement to E! Online in which she assured the publication and its readers that she was doing everything in her power to have the video removed from the internet. The controversial clip showed Depp shouting at Heard. The reason for his rage is unclear. He is thought to have thrown a wine bottle and glass in her direction. In the video, Heard repeatedly tried to calm her upset husband, reminding him that they had been getting along swimmingly until that moment.

“Nothing happened this morning, you know that?” she can be heard saying. “I just woke up and you were so sweet and nice — we were not even fighting this morning. All I said was ‘sorry.’”

Amid the drama, “Alice: Through the Looking Glass” was released in theaters across the globe. The film was not well received by critics, garnering a meager 30 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie raked in just $295.1 million in the United States and is widely considered a flop.

“Labyrinth” has not yet been given a release date. The film is slated to begin filming in the coming weeks.