Although there is another Pirates of the Caribbean film in the works, it looks as though Disney has confirmed Johnny Depp will not be reprising his role as the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow.
In case you haven’t been following along with the latest Depp news, he has had an ongoing battle with his ex-wife Amber Heard, which has been quite serious as Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse and even holding her hostage at one point.
Depp had originally filed a libel lawsuit against the UK Sun regarding a specific article, which stated that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor domestically abused his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp ended up losing the libel case, which you can read more about here.
Related: Johnny Depp Speaks Out on Legal Battle, Forced to Leave Warner Bros.
After Depp lost the battle, rumors began floating around that Disney no longer wanted Depp to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in the upcoming Pirates film, however, that was solely a rumor — until now.
In a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, it seems as though Disney previously made up their minds about Depp’s future — even before the U.K. trial began. THR writes:
Disney had already backed away from a Pirates future with Depp well before the U.K. trial, even if it never formally severed ties. [Jerry] Bruckheimer, who has been one of Depp’s biggest champions and once suggested the finger injury happened because “he got it caught in a car door,” was hoping to at least bring the Captain Jack Sparrow character back briefly in the next outing — said to be a female-centric incarnation fronted by Margot Robbie. Disney balked. Insiders say Depp’s relationship with Bruckheimer has frayed in recent months.
So despite Depp having his name in the news a lot lately, and having lost a trial, it looks as though Disney had already made up their minds about the upcoming Pirates film, and wanted to focus it on a “female-centric incarnation” led by Margot Robbie.
Johnny Depp is one of the best known versatile actors in Hollywood. He has starred in a wide variety of films including Sweeney Todd, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland, Secret Window, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 21 Jump Street, The Lone Ranger, Public Enemies, and many more.