Johnny Depp Quietly Makes Move for 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Return

Actor Johnny Depp hasn’t closed the door on Disney, after all, and it seems that door may be opening wider and wider.

Multiple lines of discussion have taken place between both fans and insiders as it relates to the future of Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. After the defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard ended, Depp moved out of Hollywood and has been pursuing both his music and acting career in Europe. The entertainer has a new movie, titled Jeanne Du Barry, that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and he has several more projects in the works.

Though Depp is dealing with rehab for a broken ankle, he honored his late friend Jeff Beck with a Tribute Concert earlier this year, and he has begun touring again with his band, The Hollywood Vampires, alongside Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. The talented actor was in talks to play a role in Warner Bros’ Beetlejuice 2 film, which is being directed by Depp’s longtime friend Tim Burton, but recent reports suggest that the production company has moved on from the actor, just as it did with the Fantastic Beasts franchise a couple of years ago when it replaced Johnny Depp with Mads Mikkelsen.

With Warner Bros out of the picture, at least for the time being, many fans have wondered if Disney might be the first Hollywood studio to welcome Depp back after several years of the actor being blacklisted. Though Disney and Johnny Depp have had a tumultuous relationship, there’s no doubt that Pirates of the Caribbean— one of the company’s top franchises ever— is synonymous with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Disney has shared that it’s moving forward with plans for a Pirates of the Caribbean 6, but its latest comments indicated that it was “noncommittal” on a Johnny Depp return. Though original reports said that Depp would not return to Disney, recent comments from a Johnny Depp insider put those rumors to rest. The insider said that “anything is possible” with Depp, and that the actor would return to Disney “for the right project.”

Recently, Inside the Magic covered the financial woes that Depp is facing. The actor, described as “cash-strapped” by the Dail Mail, took out a $10 million loan for his West Hollywood Castle. The property, where Depp rarely resides, was purchased by the Edward Scissorhands actor in 1995 for an estimated $2.15 million. The exact reason for this loan has not been given.

With finances being an issue for the actor, could it be that he is setting up a return to Pirates of the Caribbean, simply for the money? Depp is very thoughtful about when comments are released, so for an insider to note that he’d be open to returning to a Disney project, may speak to some of the thoughts currently going on in the actor’s head.

Though Depp might not want to return to Disney– he shared during the defamation trial that he wouldn’t return to the company for “$300 million– he does know that a big paycheck would be on the receiving end of a return. Pirates of the Caribbean has made more than $4.5 billion at the box office, and with all the fanfare surrounding a “will he, won’t he return,” it would absolutely mean a large payday for the actor if he did choose to put his bootstraps back on and become Captain Jack Sparrow one more time.

Inside the Magic will keep you updated on the latest developments surrounding Johnny Depp, Disney, and more.