The most persistent question surrounding Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is not whether the film is happening. It is. Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed development repeatedly over the past several years, and reports of active pre-production activity have surfaced consistently enough to take seriously. The question is who is going to be in it when it finally sails, and specifically whether that list includes Johnny Depp.
Bruckheimer answered that at the Producers Guild Awards this month, on the press line for F1, and the answer was not complicated. When The Direct asked him about reports that the new films were being developed without Depp, his response was: “First of all, that's not true. No, no, no. Johnny… if it's up to me, he'll be in it.”
Four words — “if it's up to me” — are doing some work in that sentence, and we will get to that. But the baseline position of the man who has produced every single Pirates film is that he is planning for Depp to be involved. That is more than fans have had clearly stated in a long time, and it lands at the end of a story that has had more turns than a Caribbean navigation chart.
The Full Picture on Where This Franchise Has Been
Depp played Captain Jack Sparrow across five films starting with The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, building one of the most lucrative relationships between an actor and a franchise in modern studio history. By Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017, he was reportedly earning $90 million per film. Then the legal situation with Amber Heard became public, Disney cut ties, and the question of whether Jack Sparrow had sailed his last voyage became genuinely open.
The 2022 defamation trial in Virginia, which was covered more extensively than most court proceedings get outside of criminal cases, ended with a jury awarding Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, later reduced, while Heard received $2 million in compensatory damages. The verdict shifted public sentiment, and the conversation about Depp's potential return to the franchise began quietly reopening in its aftermath.
During the trial, Depp was asked about Pirates and responded with the now-famous line about “$300 million and a million alpacas,” which did not suggest warm feelings toward Disney at the time. In July 2023, a source told People that “anything is possible” regarding a return. By August 2025, Bruckheimer was telling Entertainment Weekly that he had spoken with Depp directly and believed “he would do it,” pending the right script. The February 2026 PGA statement is the most direct version of that position yet.
What the Film Might Actually Be
The shape of Pirates 6 has been described differently across various reports, and piecing it together requires reading between some deliberately vague lines. Speaking with Screen Rant while promoting F1, Bruckheimer described the project as “a new take” that would bring back “not all new actors” — without naming anyone specifically. A report from The DisInsider added more texture, suggesting Disney's preference is for the film to be co-led by Depp and Margot Robbie, with future installments then following Robbie's character and potentially a character identified as Jack Sparrow's son.
Bruckheimer has confirmed separately that a Robbie-led spinoff, previously reported as stalled, has not been abandoned — but that the mainline sixth film is currently further along in development. The two projects appear to exist on parallel tracks rather than as competitors.
Orlando Bloom addressed his own potential return during an appearance on the UK talk show This Morning. “There's been all kinds of things. Who knows? There's been talk. I can't say anything at the moment, because I really don't know,” he said. “They're definitely… I think they're trying to work out what it would all look like. I, personally, think it would be great to get the band back together. That would be great. But there are always different ideas, so we'll see where it lands.”
That is a carefully noncommittal answer that nonetheless suggests active conversations. Will Turner could be part of this. The door is not closed.
The “If It's Up to Me” Question
Bruckheimer's qualifier matters. His “if it's up to me” framing acknowledges what everyone in the industry knows: the producer does not make every decision unilaterally. Disney has final say on casting, budget, and green-lighting, and the studio's relationship with Depp has been complicated enough that a simple producer endorsement does not guarantee a signed deal.
Bruckheimer is also dealing with a crowded production calendar. He has indicated that Pirates 6 and Top Gun 3 with Tom Cruise are currently running close in development priority, with the Cruise project inching slightly ahead. That suggests Pirates 6 is not yet in the immediate production queue, which means there is still time for the script to develop, for conversations with Depp to continue, and for Disney to make its final call.
Variety reported in late 2024 that “nothing has been ruled out” regarding Depp's involvement. That is the studio's version of not closing a door. It is not confirmation, but it is also not a no.
For Pirates fans who have been following this through years of contradictory reports, the current state of play is more promising than it has been at any point since Dead Men Tell No Tales. A script is being developed. The franchise's primary producer is publicly saying Depp is part of his plan. Legacy actors including Bloom are acknowledging active conversations. The ship has not left the dock, but it is clearly being loaded. Keep watching this one — it is moving faster than it appears.
