Development

In the late 1970s, Al Pacino first had the idea to make a biopic about Amedeo Modigliani based on the play Modigliani by Dennis McIntyre. American film producer Keith Barish bought the rights for the play and gave Pacino full creative control. Pacino then flew Richard Price to Paris to start writing the script, using the play as the basis for the film. Initially, the script was given to American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola to direct, in 1979, with Bernardo Bertolucci and Martin Scorsese as the second and third choices for Pacino respectively. After being turned down by Coppola, Pacino presented the script to Scorsese, who was impressed by it. The two men found great difficulty in producing the film in the 1980s, due to studios not wanting to finance it.^[2]

Mick Davis wrote a script for Modigliani in the 1990s and sent it to Scorsese. "Martin Scorsese told me it's one of the best screenplays he's ever read and could turn into either a movie or a theatre performance", said Davis in an interview in 2014. Al Pacino and 20th Century Studios received the screenplay not long thereafter and were happy with it but suggested Davis combine the new version of the script with the early one. Pacino was considered to be the director at this point, with Johnny Depp playing the leading role of Modigliani. Davis, who was not satisfied with the idea of combining the two versions of the script, decided to make his version of the film in 2004.^[2]

In August 2022, it was announced that Johnny Depp would direct and produce Modigliani, a film about Amedeo Modigliani, co-produced alongside Al Pacino and Barry Navidi.^[3] The film is based on a play by Dennis McIntyre and adapted for the screen by Jerzy and Mary Kromolowski.^[3] It is Depp's first directorial effort since The Brave, released in 1997, in which he stars alongside Marlon Brando. It is also Depp's third collaboration with Al Pacino, the first being Donnie Brasco and the second being Jack and Jill. Depp expressed his admiration of Modigliani in an official statement: "The saga of Mr. Modigliani's life is one that I'm incredibly honored, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen. It was a life of great hardship, but eventual triumph — a universally human story all viewers can identify with." Pacino, who initially pitched the idea of directing the biopic to Depp stated: "This is a slice of Modi's life and not a bio. It's been a dream of mine to work with Johnny again — he's a true artist with an amazing vision to bring this great story to the screen."^[4]

In May 2023, the film was announced to be titled Modì and the first round of cast was announced.^[5] Riccardo Scamarcio and Pierre Niney were cast in the leading roles as Amedeo Modigliani and Maurice Utrillo respectively, while Al Pacino was cast as Gangnat.^[1][6] The film was sold for distribution during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival by The Veterans.^[5]

In September 2023, Pierre Niney had exited the film, due to scheduling conflicts,^[7] while Luisa Ranieri, Antonia Desplat, Stephen Graham, Bruno Gouery, Ryan McParland, Benjamin Lavernhe, and Sally Phillips joined the cast.^[8] On October 11, 2023, Romanian taraf singers Viorica and Ionita Manole announced on Instagram that they would appear in the film as singers, performing for Modigliani and his friends.^[9]

Filming

Principal photography commenced in September 2023, in Budapest, Hungary.^[8] Some scenes were shot near Károlyi Garden, where the streets were decorated to look like Paris in the 1910s.^[10] This prompted sightings of the cast and of Depp, and posts showing the location sets on Hungary's social media networks.^[11] On November 4, 2023, filming wrapped in Budapest, with the cast and crew posting photos and celebrating on Instagram. A few days later, Depp took to Instagram to thank the cast and crew for their work on the project.^[12] In January 2024, the scenes in which Al Pacino is featured were shot in Los Angeles.^[13] Additional filming took place in Turin, Italy on February 20 and 21, 2024.^[14][12][15]

On January 18, 2024, just after filming had wrapped in Los Angeles, the first images from set were made available, alongside a statement by Depp:

Embarking on this cinematic journey as the director of Modi has been an incredibly fulfilling and transformative experience. I would like to express my profound gratitude to the entire cast, crew, and producers for their unwavering commitment and creativity. To Al, who requested that I make this film—how could I refuse Pacino? A sincere acknowledgement for generously contributing his talent and dedication to this project. Modi is a testament to the collaborative spirit of independent filmmaking, and I am excited to present this unique and compelling story to the world.

— Johnny Depp, talking about his experience as the director of Modì, Entertainment Tonight^[16]

The film is produced by Depp's IN.2, a European sister company to his L.A.-based Infinitum Nihil, Salome Productions, Barry Navidi Productions and The Veterans, with local production in Budapest handled by Proton Cinema.^[5][17]

Financing and budget

On August 31, 2023, it was announced that Modì would be financially backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation, which had also supported Maïwenn's Jeanne du Barry in which Depp played one of the leading roles.^[18]