company, Infinitum Nihil, and announced that IN.2 and the Spanish production company A Contracorriente Films were starting a new development fund for TV and film projects. On February 15, 2022, Depp received the Serbian Gold Medal of Merit from President Aleksandar Vučić for "outstanding merits in public and cultural activities, especially in the field of film art and the promotion of the Republic of Serbia in the world". Minamata and animated series Puffins were shot in the country. As of May 2022, Depp has been cast as King Louis XV in French actor-director Maïwenn's period film Jeanne Du Barry, which is to begin filming in the summer. The previously titled Jeanne du Barry is now titled La Favorite and will tell the story of Madame du Barry, an impoverished seamstress who rises through the ranks of Louis XV's court to become his official mistress. Netflix will co-finance and stream the French period drama. This will be the first film for Depp where he acts in French. In August 2022, Depp is set to direct Modigliani, a film about Amedeo Modigliani, which he will co-produce alongside Al Pacino and Barry Navidi. The film is based on a play by Dennis McIntyre, which was previously adapted for the 2004 film of the same name, from a screenplay by Jerzy and Mary Kromolowski. Principal photography will commence in 2023. He made a surprise cameo appearance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. Other ventures In 2004, Depp founded film production company Infinitum Nihil to develop projects where he will serve as actor or producer. He serves as its CEO, while his sister, Christi Dembrowski, serves as president. The company's first two film releases were The Rum Diary (2011) and Hugo (2011). Depp co-owned the nightclub The Viper Room in Los Angeles from 1993 to 2003, and he was also part owner of the restaurant-bar Man Ray in Paris for a short period of time. Depp and Douglas Brinkley edited folk singer Woody Guthrie's novel House of Earth, which was published in 2013. Music Prior to his acting career, Depp was a guitarist, and has later featured on songs by Oasis, Shane MacGowan, Iggy Pop, Vanessa Paradis, Aerosmith, Marilyn Manson, and The New Basement Tapes, among others. He also performed with Manson at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2012. Depp played guitar on the soundtrack of his films Chocolat and Once Upon a