Johnny Depp: Pirates 6 ‘primed for Jack Sparrow return post-verdict’ claims ex Disney exec
JOHNNY DEPP fans have a "huge appetite" for his return as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6, according to a former Disney executive. The insider said they "absolutely believe" that after winning his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard, "there is just too much potential box office treasure" at the ready to not consider a comeback.
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Following Amber Heard’s 2018 Washington Post op-ed, in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse, Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean future as Captain Jack Sparrow was looking very uncertain. During his recent defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, the 58-year-old said: “There was a very deep and distinct feeling of having been betrayed by the people that I had been working with, the people I had worked hard for, people I had delivered a character to that they initially despised.”
The Jack Sparrow star claimed he had been approached to take part in Pirates 6 and had hoped to give the much-loved character a fitting conclusion.
Depp said: “My feeling was that these characters should be able to have their proper goodbye, as it were. A franchise can only last for so long and there's a way to end a franchise like that and I thought that the characters deserved to have their way out, to end the franchise on a very good note. I planned on continuing until it was time to stop.”
Depp was asked by Heard’s attorney Ben Rottenborn in court: “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?” Depp simply replied: “That is true, Mr Rottenborn.”
However, after winning his defamation case against Heard, a former Disney executive has claimed it’s likely the actor could be back in the franchise.
After Depp won the case, he posted on Instagram: “The jury gave me my life back…the best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun.”
Speaking with People, a former Disney executive said: “I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Captain Jack back on board. There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture. With [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer riding high on the massive success of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, there is huge appetite for bringing back bankable Hollywood stars in massively popular franchises.”
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Meanwhile, another Hollywood insider told the outlet that while Depp is unlikely to star in Pirates 6 in their view, he could have a cameo in the Margot Robbie spin-off that’s also being developed. They said: “I would think they make Robbie his daughter and likely have a cameo with him as a test.”
And despite Depp ruling out working with Disney on a Pirates movie again during the case, the source added: “I don't believe that based on his money troubles, especially given Pirates is a billion-dollar global franchise.”