The latest chapter in Johnny Depp's legal fight with ex-wife Amber Heard begins later in the US.
He claims he was wrongly accused of domestic abuse in an article she wrote for The Washington Post.
High-profile figures including James Franco and Elon Musk are scheduled to give evidence.
Depp lost a defamation case against The Sun newspaper in Britain last year, which called him a "wife-beater".
Despite this, he is doing it all again determined to clear his name.
The star has always denied allegations of abuse and says he has been boycotted by Hollywood because of the claims.
Depp launched the US$50m (€ 45.9m) defamation lawsuit against Heard in 2019, arguing that her Washington Post article falsely implies she was a victim of abuse during their relationship.
Heard has argued for the case to be thrown out of court and has also filed a counterclaim for defamation against Depp, accusing him of a smear campaign.
Following delays during the pandemic, the trial is finally set to begin on Monday at the Fairfax County courthouse in Virginia - with the two stars set to face each other once again.
Cameras are allowed in court in America and the judge has permitted filming.
Depp is suing in Virginia because the Post's online editions are published through servers located in Fairfax County.
Heard's lawyers had sought to have the case moved to California, where both the actors live.
New York-based reporter Harriet Alexander told Newstalk Breakfast: "It's come as quite a surprise, I suppose, to a lot of people that this is still rumbling on.
"Amber Heard in 2018... wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post - in that she referred to herself as a victim of domestic abuse.
"She didn't talk about Johnny Depp, she didn't mention him by name but Johnny Depp sued her for defamation, arguing that it had ruined his career.
"And actually it did have quite dramatic consequences in the United States.
"He, days later, was kicked off of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise."
She says lawyers will be trying to raise the British libel case.
"Amber Heard's lawyers are going to try and bring in as much of the London case - which was settled in the summer of 2020, which Johnny Depp lost.
"They want to reference this a lot; and Johnny Depp's lawyers will be arguing that this is different and that it's different circumstances and that it's not actually connected to this at all".
And Harriet says Depp has gone after Heard - not the newspaper.
"In the US they have the protection of the First Amendment of freedom of speech.
"So it's going to be very hard for his lawyers I think to get around this.
"She doesn't mention him by name in this op-ed, she talks in general.
"And she will argue that she was making a point about her situation, which she - under the First Amendment - has every right to do.
"In the case in London he was actually suing The Sun newspaper... whereas here he's suing her directly.
"And that will likely be because of the First Amendment: that the newspaper can publish what it wishes, but it's her... they are trying to prove that she acted with malice.
"That's what the case is going to come down to - that she deliberately set out to sabotage his career".
The trial is set to take around six weeks, with a week's break in May.
It starts with jury selection and opening statements expected to begin on Tuesday.
Additional reporting: IRN
