Negotiations for Johnny Depp’s Return to Pirates of the Caribbean Confirmed
According to the CinemaDrame news agency, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has provided an update on the franchise in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, confirming that Johnny Depp will reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow if he is satisfied with the script for the sixth installment. Bruckheimer had previously revealed that multiple Pirates scripts are in development, including a female-led reboot.
In the latest interview, the producer said the new film will be a reboot, but the Jack Sparrow character will be part of the story: “If he likes the way the role is written, I think he’ll do it. It’s only what’s on the page that matters, as we all know.”
Disney had scrapped Pirates 6 after Depp was accused of domestic violence by Amber Heard. Depp’s manager, Jack Whigham, testified in Fairfax County, Virginia, that in 2016, Bruckheimer had verbally promised Depp $22.5 million for the sixth film in the franchise. Previous reports indicated that Depp earned a total of $300 million for his work in the first five Pirates of the Caribbean films.
Bruckheimer said the new Pirates script is being written by Jeff Nathanson, who also penned Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Following Pirates, Depp appeared in The Professor, City of Lies, Waiting for the Barbarians, Minamata, and Jeanne du Barry, and recently directed Modi, starring Al Pacino. Modi premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival but has yet to secure a U.S. distributor.
