The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is one of the most successful film series of all time. Johnny Depp portrayed protagonist Jack Sparrow in all five movies and has served as the franchise’s leading star. Despite this, it seemed unlikely in the last few years that he would ever again reprise the role. However, if recent reports are to be believed, Depp’s return is still very much in the cards at Disney.
John Depp could reportedly return as Jack Sparrow if he and Disney reconcile
Johnny Depp could play Jack Sparrow again in the prospective Pirates of the Caribbean 6 if he and Disney find a way to reconcile. According to Variety‘s sources, the studio hadn’t yet reached out to Depp. But Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced the previous movies, was working on two parallel scripts, and one of them reportedly included Depp’s character. The outlet quoted a “knowledgeable source,” stating “Nothing has been ruled out.”
Depp’s career reportedly experienced a sharp decline after his former wife Amber Heard accused him of verbal and physical abuse. However, things seem to have changed since he fared significantly better than Heard in a defamation lawsuit, the verdict of which was delivered in June 2022. Recently, Depp released his new directorial venture: Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness.
Conversations about the sixth Pirates movie have been around since the fifth one came out. In March 2024, Bruckheimer confirmed to ComicBook.com that the next Pirates movie would be a reboot.
A few months later, the producer reiterated that the sixth movie would be a reboot in an interview with Entertainment Weekly and added that he would bring Depp back if it were up to him. “I love him [Depp],” he said. “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.”
At the time, Jeff Nathanson, who penned the fifth movie, was in charge of writing the screenplay for the reboot, and Bruckheimer indicated the script was already finished. It’s unclear whether Nathanson has any involvement in the two scripts reportedly being written at present.
