Celebrity
Johnny Depp Will Return As Captain Jack Sparrow, Ex Disney Exec Predicts
“I do feel someone will give him a chance.”
Since Johnny Depp won his trial, Hollywood insiders have been airing opinions hinged on whether his career will bounce back. Of the positives, a former Walt Disney Studios executive thinks the actor could someday return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as there is a huge appetite.
The 58-Year-Old had earned an Oscar nomination for his Jack Sparrow’s role in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pear.
The hit then had sequels in 2006, 2007, 2011, and 2017. “I absolutely believe post-verdict that Pirates is primed for rebooting with Johnny as Capt. Jack is back on board. There is just too much potential box-office treasure for a beloved character deeply embedded in the Disney culture,” the former exec told the PEOPLE.
The insider added: “With [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer riding high on the massive success of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, there is huge appetite for bring back bankable Hollywood stars in massively popular franchises.”
Amid his trial, Depp’s agent had claimed the actor lost a potential $22.5million payday to do a sixth Pirates due to Amber Heard’s 2018 op-ed. But in contrast, his former longtime agent testified the actor’s unprofessional behavior in the years before the op-ed made studios reluctant to hire him. In November 2020, Depp lost his publicized U.K. libel lawsuit case against The Sun for calling him a wife-beater.
The court at the time upheld the British tabloid’s claim about Depp as being substantially true, and Heard testified to back up the claims.
Having lost his libel case, Depp announced his step down from his role in Warner Bros’s Fantastic Beasts and was eventually replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which hit theaters in April with the lowest box office performance of the Harry Potter franchise. However, another Hollywood insider who has worked on previous Pirates told PEOPLE it’s not likely Depp will come back as a star.
The source claimed they’d probably make Pirates 6 with Margot Robbie, 31, as she had been eyed.
Franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently told The Sunday Times they’re developing two Pirates scripts, one with her and one without. With the sequel likely to be released until 2025 due to production timeless, Jerry said he would think they make Robbie his daughter and likely have a cameo with him as a test. An additional industry source said Depp will work again and added: “I do feel someone will give him a chance.”
The source added: “He is very likable and very talented. A studio will just have to gauge and see it worth the risk and value, but he also won public opinion. He gained a whole new fan base through this and yes, he will be back.”
Another Hollywood agent told PEOPLE although Depp’s reputation has been torn down on both sides in the legal battle, his career could still flourish because this is the world we live in. They added: “His fans are very loyal and vocal, and all know he is far from perfect.” Notably, Depp had won his trial against Heard, 36, concluding a 6week legal battle in Virginia.
In a statement, the actor wrote: “The jury gave me my life back and the best is yet to come for me.”
Heard also won one of her three defamation claims, but her lawyer has said she plans to appeal. Reacting to the Virginia verdict, the Aquaman star wrote in a statement shared on Instagram: “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.”
