Could Johnny Depp return to the Pirates of the Caribbean as the popular character Jack Sparrow? Here’s how the franchise’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer responded.
Jack Sparrow is unlikely to make another appearance on the big screen anytime soon.
During an interview with The Sunday Times on May 15, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer discussed Johnny Depp’s future involvement with the franchise. Depp played Jack Sparrow in all five films, the most recent being Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017.
Bruckheimer is currently working on two more projects. When asked if Depp will be back, Bruckheimer simply told the publication, “Not at this point. The future is yet to be decided.”
Meanwhile, he confirmed that he is in talks with Margot Robbie to appear in one of the two Pirates of the Caribbean scripts currently in development.
Depp is currently suing his ex-wife Amber Heard for $50 million in defamation, accusing her of trying to destroy his reputation with fabricated claims of domestic abuse detailed in a Washington Post essay she wrote in 2018. Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming he defamed her in his statements by calling her allegations an “elaborate hoax.”
During the trial, Depp shared that he has no interest in returning for more Pirates movies. At one point, Heard’s attorney asked the actor, “The fact is, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film? Correct?”
And Depp replied, “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”
Depp mentioned the Pirates franchise in court when asked about a Daily Mail article from 2018 that claimed Depp was “out as Jack Sparrow,” according to Variety.
“I wasn’t aware of that, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Depp testified. “Two years had gone by of constant worldwide talk about me being this wife-beater. So I’m sure that Disney was trying to cut ties to be safe. The #MeToo movement was in full swing at that point.”
According to Depp’s agent, Jack Whinham, the allegations forced Depp to withdraw from consideration for the sixth Pirates of the Caribbean film and the $22.5 million that would come with it.
“After the op-ed, it was impossible to get him a studio film,” Whigham said, per Variety.
It appears that Depp will not be boarding the pirate ship anytime soon.
