Disney Executives Reportedly Want Depp Back As Sparrow
After a highly publicized divorce and abuse allegations, it seemed that Disney was cutting ties with veteran Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp when they announced they were working on a reboot of the popular swashbuckling series. Now it appears that Disney may be rethinking that rift.
An unconfirmed report by We Got This Covered states that the studio is back in talks with the actor with the hopes of striking a deal to bring rum-drinking pirate Captain Jack Sparrow back to the big screen for the upcoming (as yet unnamed) sixth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
It may come as a surprise that Disney are keen to continue the franchise given the poor response to their last attempt at a Pirates movie, 2017's Dead Men Tell No Tales, but given the overall success of the films, the studio is clearly hoping that there's still more the franchise can bring into the piggy bank. The sixth film is already in development over at Disney, with veteran Pirates writer Ted Elliott working on the script in conjunction with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. Although no casting decisions have been made just yet, there are plenty of rumors swirling about the potential return of some veterans of the series, Orlando Bloom and Depp included.
Who would watch Pirates without Jack Sparrow?
Despite their early trepidation over Depp's inclusion in the next film, a number of factors may have swayed Disney in their initial hasty decision to exclude him from future Pirates films. The nature of the allegations between the actor and ex-wife Amber Heard (Aquaman) has changed since their divorce proceedings started, with Depp leveling abuse allegations against Heard, and an audio clip seeming to corroborate his side of the story. If the rumors of Disney wanting Depp to come on board for Pirates turn out to be true, there can be little doubt that his immense popularity in the franchise and the massive support base he has amassed over the years will have helped spur that turn by the studio.
The bumbling troublemaker Jack Sparrow has always been the most crucial element of the series' appeal, and it's hard to imagine fans lining up to watch a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean without the iconic character. So far, no details of the film have been shared with the public, with the sole exception that the studio is potentially looking at a female pirate to take on the leading role this time around. But will that potential story line change if Disney can convince Depp to sign on the dotted line again? Or will instead be relegated to a supporting role for a change?
With this all being nothing but rumors at this stage, there's plenty of speculation that can be thrown around for the time being. However, We Got This Covered is touting their source as being the same one that mentioned the National Treasure 3 film long before the studio announced it, as well as the Aladdin sequel and the Bambi live-action remake prior to their official announcements. Make of that what you will, Pirates fans.