Johnny Depp might return to our screens as Captain Jack Sparrow in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean movie. According to several reports, the actor is in the talks with Disney and could be getting paid more than $300 million to return to one of his iconic roles.
After the franchise tried to stay away from Depp in 2018 amid domestic violence allegations made by his ex-wife Amber Heard, the New York Post reported that a source close to Disney told Aussie outlet Poptopic that Johnny could be back. “The deal is reportedly for Johnny Depp to return as Jack Sparrow,” the insider claims.
“Disney is very interested in patching up their relationship with Johnny Depp,” the source alleged. “They reached out to the actor prior to his defamation trial against Amber Heard and asked whether he would be interested in returning for another ‘Pirates’ film or two.”
The insider said the deal reportedly sees Depp’s “return as Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’ and a spin-off Disney+ series about the early life of the Captain of the Black Pearl.”
“What I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow, so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character,” the source claimed.
The 59-year-old beloved actor had played the role legendary in five movies over the past 19 years, but right after the sixth and final installment, he embarked on a legal battle against Heard for a 2018 Washington Post op-ed.
After taking the case to court, Depp’s litigation team won the jury verdict on June 1, 2022. During the ruling, Depp was awarded $15 million in damages. Following a Virginia law about capping punitive damages, the judge reduced the amount to $10.35 million. Amber Heard was awarded $2 million in damages.