RUMOR: Johnny Depp in the Next ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’

In December, Variety reported that"nothing had been ruled out" regarding Disney bringing back Johnny Depp for more ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ Up to that point, Disney had not engaged with Depp, but one script in development was to bring him back … if he could reconcile with the studio.

Now here comes the usually reliable mouse house source The DisInsider, albeit with just a rumor, but with intel that Depp might indeed be back for the next ‘Pirates’ film.

One source tells the outlet that Disney is quietly gearing up to begin production on the next ‘Pirates’ instalment, and that although there is no timeline for when production will officially begin, Depp is supposed to be part of the cast.

This is surprising news given how Disney has tried to steer far away from Depp in recent years, and the actor himself hasn’t shown much interest in returning as Captain Jack Sparrow, especially after the mouse house canned him due to the Amber Heard allegations.

If you remember, Disney fired Depp from the franchise shortly after Amber Heard’s Washington Post op-ed which accused him of spousal abuse. Depp vowed to never work with Disney again after that.

Earlier in the year, ‘Pirates’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that two new scripts were being written for the franchise. Bruckheimer told EW: “It’s two different movies. We hope to get ’em both made, and I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot [Robbie] one, too.”

Bruckheimer seems to be the person spearheading Depp’s return. They’re good friends and Bruckheimer has always defended the actor. Back in 2023, he told AP Entertainment that he was “working on” a potential Depp return to the franchise and a screenplay was being written for it.

Did we need a ‘Pirates’ reboot? of course not. However, making one without Depp is akin to having a Star Wars movie without lightsabers. Depp’s Jack Sparrow, was the best, and, at times, only, reason to watch the previous installments.