Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard are headed back to court in the US. 

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The former couple engaged in a high-profile libel case in London are now ready to sit in front of a judge for a blockbuster defamation case revolving around allegations of spousal abuse.

The case against Depp and Heard would be broadcast live as they both will testify alongside actors James Franco and Paul Bettany and billionaire Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk.

The new case is based on a column written by Heard printed in The Washington Post in December 2018. Heard describes herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse” who faced online attacks following her assault claims in the column.

The column titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

While Heard fails to mention Depp, he sued her for implying he was an abuser seeking $50 million in damages.

The complaint reads, “The op-ed’s clear implication that Mr Depp is a domestic abuser is categorically and demonstrably false. Mr Depp never abused Ms Heard.”

Depp further accuses Heard of trying to “generate positive publicity for herself” ahead of “Aquaman‘s release, which she starred in.

Heard countersuing for $100 million, stated that she had suffered “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.

“The frivolous lawsuit Mr Depp has filed against Ms Heard continues that abuse and harassment,” her counterclaim says.

The jury selection begins today in a county court in Fairfax, outside Washington.

Depp had filed his case in Virginia, where The Washington Post is printed there. Virginia also has defamation laws that are more favourable to plaintiffs than California, where the two actors live.

The trial would be presided over by Judge Penney Azcarate and would last several weeks, while opening statements could begin as soon as Tuesday.

Depp and Heard will testify in person, while other witnesses will be heard via video. 

In 2016, Heard had gotten a restraining order against Depp amid abuse allegations, and their divorce was finalized in 2017.

Depp’s London case against The Sun for branding him a “wife-beater” was lost, and his attempt to appeal was rejected in March last year.

The trail saw a lot of private drama revealed as they laid bare their volatile relationship, including Depp’s battle with drugs and alcohol.

Since Heard claims that Depp became a “monster” after days-long binges on powerful prescriptions and other drugs, his career suffered.

Depp lost his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Depp further revealed that he was requested to step down from the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise based on the book by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Mads Mikkelsen replaced him.

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