Ask ten Disney fans for their favorite attraction and a good number will say the same thing. Pirates of the Caribbean. The drop into the dark, the smell of the water, that song you will be humming for the rest of the day. Disneyland opened it in 1967, Magic Kingdom got its own version in 1973, and the voyage has since spread to parks in Tokyo, Paris, and Shanghai.
For decades it was simply a ride. Then Disney took a gamble in 2003 and built a feature film around it. On paper, it sounded like a risky idea. Instead, Johnny Depp walked on as a slurring, swaying, eyeliner-wearing pirate named Jack Sparrow, and audiences fell for him almost instantly.
The character was such a hit that Disney put him inside the attraction in 2006. He is still there today, popping up in several scenes and lounging on a pile of treasure near the end. That link between screen and park is why any Pirates news hits differently for theme park fans. And the latest headline is a big one, per The Hollywood Reporter.
A Quick Look Back at the Saga
Before getting into what Depp said, here is a refresher on the series he led. Every film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and Depp played Jack in all of them.
- 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)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
The 2017 entry brought in Javier Bardem and Kaya Scodelario, and welcomed back Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley. No new Pirates movie has arrived since.
The Op-Ed That Changed Everything
It started with a December 2018 opinion piece in The Washington Post. In it, Amber Heard called herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp, her former husband, was not named. Shortly afterward, he was no longer Disney's Jack Sparrow.
The studio has never explained the decision publicly. When the case went to trial, Depp's agent Jack Whigham said a $22.5 million deal for a sixth movie had already been closed. He called the op-ed's effect on Depp's career “catastrophic.” Heard's attorneys questioned that timeline, citing reports that came out before the article was published.
There were two courtrooms involved. Depp sued the publisher of the British tabloid The Sun over an article that called him a “wife beater” and lost in 2020, with a London judge ruling the allegations “substantially true.”
Two years later, a jury in Fairfax County, Virginia, saw things differently. On June 1, 2022, jurors decided Heard had defamed Depp, and he was awarded $10.35 million once punitive damages were capped under state law. Heard won $2 million on one counterclaim over comments made by Depp's then-attorney Adam Waldman.
Both filed appeals before settling that December. Heard agreed to pay $1 million, which Depp said he would give to charity.
Depp Opens the Door, Just a Crack
After all of that, you might expect Depp to want nothing to do with the franchise. His latest comments suggest otherwise.
While out promoting Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, Depp sat down with Entertainment Tonight and opened up about a possible return. It came with a clear condition.
“If things are exactly where they need to be with regard to how they are going to top off the Pirates franchise… the only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note,” he said.
In other words, he is not looking for another sequel for the sake of it. He wants a proper ending.
His faith in the man behind the camera seems to be a big part of it, too. “I will go to work with [Jerry] Bruckheimer tomorrow for anything. Doesn't matter… if it's Jerry, I trust him. We have a deep friendship.”
What Bruckheimer Has Brewing
The producer has been talking about a sixth movie for a while now. In 2022, he told The Hollywood Reporter the team was “getting very close” and had a “very good script.” He also explained that a reboot would be “easier to put together” because “you don't have to wait for certain actors.”
Jeff Nathanson is writing that new film, and Bruckheimer sounds pleased. “I think he's cracked it,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “He's got an amazing third act.” He added that the first two acts still need cleaning up.
A separate project, written by Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson, was reported to star Margot Robbie. Robbie told Vanity Fair in 2022 that the idea was “a different kind of story,” before adding, “I guess they don't want to do it.” Bruckheimer has a more hopeful take. “We hope to get 'em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot one, too,” he told EW.
As for Depp, Bruckheimer has confirmed the two have spoken. “It's a reboot, but if it was up to me, he would be in it,” he said. “I love him. He's a good friend. He's an amazing artist, and he's a unique look.”
He also gave Depp full credit for the character. “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.”
Keep a Weather Eye on the Horizon
For now, it is all talk. Disney has not announced a cast or a release date, and Depp has not signed on to anything. Still, the pieces are more interesting than they have been in years. The producer wants him, and the actor is open to one last ride if it ends the story the right way.
Personally, we would love to see Jack get the farewell he deserves. Until then, you can still find him on the ride, right where he has been since 2006.
Now we want to hear from you. Team Depp for one final voyage, or is it time to hand the ship to someone new? Tell us what you think, and if you are heading to the parks soon, ride Pirates at least twice. Once for you, and once for the captain.
