Pirates of the Caribbean Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has fans battening the hatches after he teased a return of the famous Captain Jack Sparrow and a potential reunion to the franchise for Johnny Depp.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bruckheimer indicated that if it were his choice, Depp would be back captaining the Black Pearl across the treacherous Caribbean seas. It seems, however, that the studio, Disney, might be the reason that Depp’s return to the franchise has yet to materialize, according to Bruckheimer.
“You’d have to ask them. I can’t answer that question. I really don’t know. I would love to have him in the movie. He’s a friend, a terrific actor and it’s unfortunate that personal lives creep into everything we do.”
Bruckheimer also offered this humorous tidbit about the difficulty of removing a character like Sparrow from the big screen.
“You can’t. We tried to kill him. It didn’t work.”
Of course, much has been made of Depp’s personal life and his dirty laundry was aired in front of the whole world during his legal dispute with actress and ex-wife Amber Heard. After the accusation from the actress that Depp was abusing her, and the following legal battles where Depp sued for defamation, Disney seemed to cut ties with Depp. He was removed from the Fantastic Beasts franchise in 2020 and chances of a future Pirates of the Caribbean movie were squashed.
Back in June, after Depp won his defamation case against Heard, the tide seemed to be shifting and Disney executives seemed more open to a potential re-kindling of this relationship.
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One such unnamed exec said this during an interview with People.
“I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack back on board. There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture. With Jerry Bruckheimer riding high on the massive success of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, there is huge appetite for bringing back bankable Hollywood stars in massively popular franchises.”
In yet another hint that Depp may be back sooner rather than later, Bruckheimer told AP news that the studio is, in fact, looking into bringing the star back into the fold.
“We’re still working on it. Nothing’s definitive yet but continue to take little baby steps getting towards a screenplay.”
Please excuse my excitement, but it’s beginning to sound more and more likely that the crew hoists the sails on the Black Pearl yet again. It was a shame to see this landmark film franchise fall into disrepair after Heard’s allegations, and it would be only fitting to see Pirates of the Caribbean yet again at the top of box offices worldwide, as it would undoubtedly have the power to do given a Johnny Depp Return.
As Jack Sparrow said, “not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.”