Johnny Depp Return
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is iconic and beloved by audiences worldwide. Depp’s unique interpretation has immortalized Jack Sparrow as one of modern cinema’s most recognizable figures. Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of the franchise, recently expressed his desire to see Depp reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the upcoming reboot. Depp played the beloved character from 2003 to 2017, but his future in the franchise has been uncertain since his 2022 libel trial against his estranged wife, Amber Heard.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that a reboot of the Pirates franchise is in the works, with writer Jeff Nathanson attached. Bruckheimer praised Nathanson’s work, saying, “[Nathanson’s] cracked it… He’s got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second, and then we’ll get there. But he wrote a great, great third act.”
When asked about Johnny Depp’s potential involvement in the reboot, Bruckheimer made it clear that he would love to have the actor return to the role, stating, “It’s a reboot, but if it was up to me, he would be in it… I love him. He’s a good friend. He’s an amazing artist, and he’s a unique look. He created Captain Jack. That was not on the page; that was him doing a little Pepé Le Pew and Keith Richards. That was his interpretation of Jack Sparrow.”
In 2020, Variety reported that two Pirates movies were in early development: a reboot featuring Margot Robbie and a sixth film in the original franchise written by Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott. Mazin discussed the sixth movie with the Los Angeles Times in 2023, recalling the initial pitch, “We pitched it and thought there’s no way they’re buying it, it’s too weird. And they did! And then we wrote a fantastic script and the strike happened, and everyone’s waiting around.”
Despite previous reports that Disney wasn’t interested in Margot Robbie’s female-led reboot, Jerry Bruckheimer told Entertainment Weekly that both films could potentially move forward, stating, “It’s two different movies. We hope to get ’em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot one, too.”
Johnny Depp has been outspoken about his feelings towards the Hollywood movie industry, claiming it “threw me in the bin” to explain his absence from it in recent years. After winning a defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard in 2022, Depp lost a libel case against The Sun in 2020 over an article that referred to him as a “wife beater” – allegations that Depp has consistently denied. These events led to Depp’s removal from the Fantastic Beasts franchise and a subsequent lack of Hollywood roles.
Depp’s recent acting work has been predominantly in European cinema, including a role as King Louis XV in Jeanne Du Barry, where he performs in French.
Johnny Depp