© Provided by Cover MediaJohnny Depp
Johnny Depp has been given a lifeline in his ongoing libel battle with The Sun - the actor's bid for a retrial is to be heard next month.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star wants to overturn a ruling he assaulted his ex-wife, Amber Heard, which ended his libel trial against the tabloid's publishers last summer.
Mr Justice Nicol ended the proceedings by declaring he found The Sun's description of the actor as "a wife beater" was "substantially true".
The movie star has been fighting to overturn the decision ever since, and now his request for a retrial will be considered by the Court of Appeal next month.
Depp initially sued The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, over a 2018 piece written by executive editor Dan Wootton, which referred to "overwhelming evidence" he attacked Aquaman star Heard.
Following the high-profile trial, Depp's legal team claimed the judge "failed to examine the competing accounts of each incident, or to explain whether he found them proved and, if so, on what basis".
The attorneys representing the actor also argued the judge should have "analysed the extent to which Ms Heard's evidence undermined her credibility in relation to her allegations of physical assault/injury", adding Justice Nicol "took little or no account of the striking examples of Ms Heard's willingness to lie or commit wrongdoing".
The actress' lawyer insisted the trial judge's ruling was "thorough", adding: "Each conclusion of fact was supported by a detailed analysis of the relevant oral and documentary evidence."
The ruling cost Depp his role in the latest Fantastic Beasts movie.