Johnny Depp’s ‘Modi’ Finally Picked Up by —Who Else— Vertical Entertainment, More Than A Year After Festival Premiere

Johnny Depp’s “Modi - Three Days on the Wing of Madness,” which premiered at San Sebastian in September 2024, has finally been picked up for distribution by—who else—Vertical. The film is set for a limited domestic theatrical release on November 7, 2025.

We’re living in the era of Briarcliff, Ketchup, and Vertical—indie outfits stepping in to scoop up so-called “problem films” like “The Apprentice,” “Coyote vs. Acme,” Luc Besson’s “Dracula,” and “Magazine Dreams.” All the better for it.

Depp’s film is a biopic of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. Al Pacino, in a supporting role, is joined in the cast by lead star Riccardo Scamarcio (“John Wick: Chapter 2”) and Bruno Gouery.

Based on a play by Dennis McIntyre, the film tells the story of the famous painter during his time in Paris in 1916, zeroing in on the 48 hours that saw him running from the police through the streets and bars of war-torn France.

I couldn’t find a solid source for how much “Modi” actually cost, but Moviefone lists the budget at around $10 million, which sounds about right. I highly doubt Vertical paid anywhere near that much to acquire it.

Not surprisingly, Depp’s film earned terrible reviews out of San Sebastian and currently holds a 32 on Metacritic. Given the poor reception, I wonder what Vertical’s plan is for this film, which doesn’t really have much of an audience.

Depp’s first film as a director was 1997’s “The Brave,” starring Marlon Brando. It was met with negative reviews at Cannes and ultimately wasn’t released in the United States. Whether “Modi” is good or bad, I never thought it stood a chance of earning positive reviews at any film festival—and I’m sure Depp was well aware of that too.