Could Johnny Depp be returning to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise after Disney recently fired him from the Jack Sparrow role due to the recent defamation trial with his ex-wife, Amber Heard?
Disney President Sean Bailey is now speaking out on the topic.
Could Johnny Depp Return As Jack Sparrow?
Johnny Depp is known for his many roles in both television and film, but one of his most iconic characters is Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp portrayed the savvy pirate in all five “Pirates of the Caribbean“ films, including “Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl” (2003), “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006), “Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End” (2007), “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011), and “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (2017).
Due to his ex-wife’s, Amber Heard’s, allegations, Disney fired the actor and announced Depp would not return to the sixth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean”, and, instead, the lead would be portrayed by Margot Robbie in a spin-off of the original franchise. However, last year, Disney announced it scrapped those plans, and now, it looks like they may be moving in a different direction with the films.
In an interview with the New York Times, Disney Studio Motion Picture Production president Sean Bailey finally addressed the future of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and if Johnny Depp will return to the franchise as the iconic Jack Sparrow.
“We think we have a really good, exciting story that honors the films that have come before but also has something new to say,” he said when speaking to the next installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.
When asked about the status of Johnny Depp for the possible film, Bailey said that Disney was “noncommittal at this point.”
Johnny Depp Said He Would Not Return As Jack Sparrow During Defamation Trial
During the defamation trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, Heard’s attorney, Ben Rottenborn, asked Depp, while Depp was under testimony, “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?”
To which Depp confirmed he would never return as Jack Sparrow, “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.”
During the redirect, Depp’s attorney Jessica Meyers wanted to confirm with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor if he would return to the franchise, to which the actor said, “My feeling was that these characters should be able to have their proper goodbye. There’s a way to end a franchise like that… I planned on continuing until it was time to stop.”
Also during the redirect of Depp’s testimony, the “Pirates” actor explained that he learned he was going to be recast as Jack Sparrow from a news article quoting a Disney executive just a couple of days after Heard’s Op-Ed was published in The Washington Post.
Depp testified, “I didn’t quite understand how after that long relationship, and quite a successful relationship certainly for Disney, that suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent.”
