The actor and filmmaker, 60, took to his Instagram to share his first post in months, since July 20 to be exact, promoting his upcoming film project.
He is currently directing the biographical drama Modi, produced by his company IN.2 Film, based on the life of famed Italian artist and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani.
Johnny shared a photograph of himself from the set of the project, dressed casually in a plaid shirt, jeans, a beanie, and sunglasses, capturing the attention of the crowd.
He indicated that production on the film had been completed and shared a message of gratitude, writing: “To my dear ‘Modi‘ film family, Köszönöm [transl. “Thanks” in Hungarian] for all your exceptional efforts without which this film could not have been made. Please accept my eternal admiration, appreciation, respect and love, JD. X.”
Fans congratulated the actor for his new achievement and Naomi Campbell left a few heart emojis in the comments section. One of his followers commented: “I’m so proud of you for stepping back into the director role – can’t wait to see this vision of yours,” and another gushed: “How wonderful you are.”
The film also stars Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio in the title role and features a supporting cast that includes Antonia Desplat, Bruno Gouery, Luisa Ranieri, Stephen Graham, Ryan McParland, Benjamin Lavernhe, Sally Phillips, and Al Pacino.
It is Johnny’s second directorial effort following 1997’s The Brave, and is the second project he is attached to (following Jeanne Du Barry from earlier this year) since his return to the spotlight after last year’s highly publicized defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Amber, meanwhile, has quietly settled into life in Spain with her two-year-old daughter Oonagh Paige, and in a recent interview with People, a friend and former collaborator shed light on her new living situation.
Conor Allyn, who directed Amber in the upcoming film In the Fire, told the outlet that she had “moved on” from the tense legal battle and added: “She’s living her best life in Spain with her daughter and just finding happiness in that way.”
He stated that they often kept in touch and while she was doing well: “I think people carry trauma for a long time.”
“Having gone through something like that on a global epic scale – you never just put that in a suitcase and stick [it] in the attic and never see it again.”
Conor drew parallels between Amber’s real life and her character in In the Fire, a historical drama in which she plays a psychiatrist who travels to a remote Colombian village to study and care for a local boy who the townspeople deem “possessed,” and receives backlash herself.
The filmmaker stated that her character is “a fearless truth teller who comes to this remote valley and preaches a certain set of beliefs and is not believed.
“In real life, Amber is a fearless truth teller who sticks to her own convictions no matter what horrible trouble comes of that.”