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Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicWhen someone thinks of Pirates of the Caribbean characters, Jack Sparrow often comes to mind.
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the iconic character has been ingrained in the minds of many, but what if we told you that Depp was not Disney’s first choice. Although it may be hard to imagine any other actor playing the rum-loving pirate, the role was actually originally meant to go to a few different Hollywood stars.
When casting for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the creators of the film looked through various actors to try and find someone who could be the perfect Jack Sparrow. Canadian actor Jim Carrey was in the mix of names for the role, but eventually, the producers decided to offer Robert De Niro the role of Captain Jack Sparrow.
At the time of creating the film, there had yet to be an attraction-based Disney film. Typically, a film was created and then a ride, but in the instance of Pirates of the Caribbean, this was the first attempt at flipping that formula. The film was considered to be a risk, and the idea of direct-to-video was even being considered. With all this in mind, De Niro thought the film would be a bust and turned down the role.
While this was happening, Johnny Depp was looking for a family-orientated film to dig into, and everything fell into place. After the first Pirates film made $654.3 million at the box office, De Niro may have been kicking himself as he would go on to try and play a pirate role in Stardust. The film did well but did not nearly receive the praise and fandom that we have seen evolve in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
What about Robin Williams?
Robin Williams was a legendary actor and comedian best known for his improvisational skills and a wide variety of voices who left an incredible legacy.
From TV’s Mork and Mindy to movies including Mrs. Doubtfire, Dead Poet’s Society, Good Morning, Vietnam, and of course, his role voicing the lovable Genie from Disney’s animated classic Aladdin, Robin Williams has portrayed so many iconic characters. The tragic passing of the talented actor and comedian is still felt by fans all over the world to this day.
The idea of Pirates of the Caribbean actually predates Depp and De Niro. In the 1990’s Steven Spielberg, director of Jaws, E.T., the Indiana Jones movies, and Jurassic Park, was pitched the film. Reportedly, “Given his reputation at the time, the Academy Award winner might have been a good choice to direct Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and, apparently, he could have if things turned out differently.”
Disney and Spielberg did not see eye to eye on the film and the direction that it should take, which made the project fall through. Before that happened, Steven had a few options to play Captain Jack Sparrow, including Bill Murray, Steve Martin, or the Peter Pan from his own pirate adventure, Hook: the late Robin Williams.
As one may imagine, Robin Williams playing Jack Sparrow would have been a totally different version of the pirate we know today.
Is Johnny Depp STILL Captain Jack Sparrow?
Things have been tough for Captain Jack Sparrow, aka Johnny Depp, after his recent health scare. Now, the film star’s health seems to still be negatively impacted by his substance abuse illness, which happened when he collapsed in a Hungarian hotel. This resulted in a cancelled show for the Hollywood Vampires in Budapest.
It seems that Johnny Depp’s health was reportedly severely impacted, which caused the show to be canceled. Sources declared that Depp was over-excited; he couldn’t even leave the hotel. A doctor was called to see if there was anything more wrong with him than simply overdoing it as a rock star. As we now know, Depp’s illness was due to a relapse of substance abuse — an issue commonly brought up during the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Aquaman 2018) lawsuit.
The Edward Scissorhands star has been in the limelight over the past few years, not only for his spectacular work on film but due to his crumbling personal life. If you’ve been following Inside the Magic for any length of time, you’ve probably seen some of our extensive coverage of the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard lawsuit. The historic Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation lawsuit occurred in Fairfax, Virginia, but the internet watched worldwide. Depp was suing ex-wife Heard for $50 million following a 2018 op-ed piece regarding her then-alleged experience as a victim, and subsequent survivor, of domestic viewing. Heard was also countersuing the Corpse Bride star for $100 million.
Related: Amber Heard Is Innocent, Depp Found Guilty, According to Latest Findings
This civil case came on the heels of Depp’s November 2020 libel lawsuit loss that cost him his starring roles in both The Walt Disney Company’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Warner Bros. Fantastic Beasts Harry Potter spinoff series. The Jack Sparrow actor denied the domestic violence allegations from the start, with even his ex-partners, Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder, speaking out in his defense at various points in time. As we now know, Depp was proven innocent.
That being said, Depp’s professional life took severe hits due to Amber Heard’s false allegations, and just recently, Mr. Depp revealed a self-portrait that represented the most difficult five years of his life, which took place during his time and divorce from Amber Heard.
Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003), Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)) has, as we noted at the beginning of this article, recently fallen ill due to a relapse in substance abuse. Fans have rallied around the film star in prayer, wishing the best for the star. We have seen fans come together to support Johnny Depp many times in the recent past. Not only did hundreds of thousands petition to have him reinstated as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but they made hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp go viral.
Would you have liked to see Robin Williams as Jack Sparrow?