Johnny Depp’s “Likely” Return As Captain Jack Sparrow Comes With a Stern Warning

Thanks to an exclusive interview with one of the film industry’s most respected sources, Johnny Depp’s return as Captain Jack Sparrow is “likely,” but it comes with a stern warning for Disney’s execs.

Related: Johnny Depp Finally Returns as Captain Jack Sparrow in a Brand-New Film Poster

Fans Have Been Waiting For Years

It has now been almost seven years since Johnny Depp sailed away into the sunset in search of his new horizon as Captain Jack Sparrow sailed off into the sunset at the end of the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Seven long years since fans of the scurvy films have cheered for the always incomparable and intrepid Captain Jack in a brand new story about the adventures (and the misadventures) of his swashbuckling band of pirates and their growing number of adversaries during the Golden Age of Piracy.

The last film in the franchise, Dead Men Tell No Tales, debuted at the box office in May 2017, becoming the fifth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to chronicle the many adventures of the often-inebriated, ever-witty rightful owner of the Black Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow.

The film grossed nearly $796 million worldwide against a budget of $230 million for Walt Disney Pictures, making it the fourth most popular film in the series, based on box office receipts.

But as fans lingered over the last few minutes of the film, during which Captain Jack is reunited with his crew and tells them that they have a rendezvous beyond that “beloved horizon,” none of them could have imagined that nearly a decade later, Disney would be mum about a sixth film.

They would have had an even more difficult time believing that there would come a day when Disney had no relationship whatsoever with Johnny Depp–and that, by the company’s own choosing.

Related: Disney Won’t Apologize to Johnny Depp, But He’s Already Had the Last Word, Brilliantly

One of Disney’s Worst Decisions Ever

But sadly, in a sickening example of poor decision-making, coupled with an unfair and egregious show of judgment sans facts, The Walt Disney Company cast Depp aside after the fifth film debuted–all the while enjoying the fruits of Depp’s labor and talents in the film–siding with his former spouse, who accused Depp of domestic abuse and sexual violence, only to be proven the liar in a defamation case that played out for all the world to see in June 2022, after Depp filed suit against his ex-wife for spreading vicious lies about him in an effort to take down his career and build herself up.

Related: The Jury Has Spoken. Captain Jack Sparrow Wins!

How embarrassing that must be for Disney now.

And when you consider that Depp is credited with being the reason the Pirates franchise has grown into the mega-enterprise it is today–worth more than $4.5 billion–surely Disney execs are kicking themselves for being so quick to judge Depp and for cutting ties with him prematurely, minus the facts that would later be on display during a six-week trial in court between Depp and his accuser.

Sadly, however, it would appear that the pride and arrogance of those execs precede all else, as the company still refuses to apologize for jumping the gun and dumping Depp, even though it could likely cost the company any further films in the Pirates series, despite how profitable they’ve been up to this point.

Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series have made it very clear that they’ll have no part in buying tickets to see a sixth film sans Depp. Thus, making Pirates 6 without Johnny Depp would be a fool’s errand on the part of Walt Disney Pictures.

What Does Johnny Depp Want To Do?

There’s been plenty of talk about Disney’s apparent feelings toward Johnny Depp (keep in mind that Depp was named a Disney Legend in 2015 and that Disney has never stopped profiting from Depp’s talents in the films and his likeness in the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disney Parks), but what about Johnny Depp’s feelings toward Disney?

Is he even interested in returning for a sixth film as Captain Jack Sparrow?

It’s true that Depp took the stand during the defamation trial against his former spouse and testified that he wouldn’t work with Disney again, not even for $300 million and one million alpacas. (And that’s a lot of alpacas.)

But shortly after the conclusion of the trial, speculation and hope about the possibility of a Depp-Sparrow reunion in Pirates 6 began to rush over Depp’s fanbase. Even Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer said he wanted to bring Depp back to the franchise–something he’s yet to sway from, despite numerous interviews over the years.

And since the court case concluded nearly two years ago, there’s been plenty of time to allow for untold amounts of water to rush under the proverbial bridge. Could it be that enough time has passed for Depp to change his mind too? Well, as they say, anything is possible.

More Back-and-Forth Than the Black Pearl During a Hurricane

Since the conclusion of Depp’s U.S. trial over allegations and accusations spread by his ex-wife Amber Heard, news of a possible Disney and Depp reunion has been headline fodder almost weekly.

But for every news story about Depp’s certain return as Captain Jack Sparrow, there’s at least one more article that swears it’ll never happen, making it impossible for fans to know what’s really going on–and what the future may or may not hold for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

But those closest to Depp have said that the actor would consider returning and breathing new life into Captain Jack Sparrow–on one condition, which has exactly zero to do with monetary compensation (or those darned alpacas). In an online post at FandomWire, a source close to Depp revealed the one condition under which Depp would return to his famous role:

“The Rum Diary” actor’s image was immensely affected due to the trial, [and] soon the actor also stated that he wouldn’t work with the franchise again, as he felt betrayed.

Fans were heartbroken, and it was impossible to imagine someone apart from Depp playing the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. However, it looks like he’s ready to return to the franchise if Disney meets his only condition, and no, it is not the rumored $300 million salary that circulated the internet once. An insider from the franchise came forward and stated that “anything is possible; if it’s the right project, [Depp] will do it.”

Depp’s “Likely” Return as Captain Jack . . . and a Warning

Now, according to an exclusive post from the U.K. news magazine Express, Depp’s return to play the role of Captain Jack “feels all the more likely.”

In recent news, Disney execs reportedly want Depp along for Pirates 6, though not for an exact reprisal of his former role, and such reports have irritated those who see no harm in bringing the famed actor back to embrace Captain Jack in all of his pre-trial glory. But many fans see Disney’s reported demands for bringing Depp back to the high seas of the Caribbean as nothing short of ridiculous.

But a “respected industry source” has spoken exclusively with the Express, explaining that Depp will be considering a return to the franchise:

The future is as deep and dark as Jack Sparrow’s mysterious, murky waters of the deep blue sea. The future with the Disney production is as cryptic as a pirate’s treasure map. Putting Johnny Depp in the role again and properly promoting it would be hard to top and a windfall for the franchise. I’m sure Jack Sparrow longs for his desert islands. The character longs to continue his journeys into uncharted oceans, but the incredibly talented actor has many scripts that he has to navigate through and has to decide if Jack Sparrow deserves a second life.

It sounds like potentially great news for Depp fans worldwide, especially if it plays out positively for Depp and his fanbase.

But the message didn’t stop there. Rather, the source continued with a warning for Disney that included a directive to Disney’s execs to listen intently to the voice of the fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, especially following Disney’s recent failures at the box office with Marvel and Star Wars-inspired films alike.

And as of the time of this publication, Disney can’t deny those failures with any honesty. The Walt Disney Company desperately needs a major win at the box office–one that only someone with Depp’s talents and acting acumen could bring to fruition.

It sounds like a no-brainer to fans.

Disney, are you listening to those fans?

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