Johnny Depp’s career has been through more ups and downs than a Disney World roller coaster.
The beloved actor was essentially blacklisted from Hollywood after his messy legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard.
And Jerry Bruckheimer gave Johnny Depp one offer about Jack Sparrow that has fans holding their breath.
Pirates producer opens the door for Depp’s return
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise made Johnny Depp a household name and turned Captain Jack Sparrow into one of the most iconic movie characters of all time.
But Depp’s future with Disney seemed dead in the water after his legal troubles and the fallout from his relationship with Amber Heard.
The five Pirates movies Depp starred in from 2003 to 2017 grossed a staggering $4.5 billion worldwide, with two films topping the $1 billion mark.
Now franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer is making it clear that the door isn’t completely closed on Depp’s return.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bruckheimer revealed he has spoken directly to Depp about appearing in a sixth Pirates movie.
"If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it," Bruckheimer told the outlet.¹
The producer emphasized that everything comes down to the quality of the screenplay they’re developing.
"It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know," Bruckheimer explained. "We are still working on a screenplay. We want to make it. We just got to get the right screenplay. We haven’t quite gotten there yet, but we’re close."²
Disney’s complicated relationship with Johnny Depp
The road back to the Pirates franchise hasn’t been easy for Depp.
His last major Hollywood studio film was 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Warner Bros. asked him to exit the sequel after he lost his 2020 libel trial against The Sun, which had referred to him as a "wife beater."
The court ruled this characterization was "substantially true," dealing a major blow to Depp’s reputation.
But things turned around during his 2022 defamation trial against Amber Heard in Virginia.
The jury ultimately ruled that Heard did defame Depp in her Washington Post op-ed where she described herself as "a figure representing domestic abuse."
The verdict was largely seen as vindication for Depp, and it opened the door for his Hollywood comeback.
Multiple Pirates projects in development
The path to a new Pirates movie has been anything but straightforward.
Disney has been juggling multiple Pirates projects since 2020, including a planned reboot starring Margot Robbie.
Robbie told Vanity Fair in 2022 that Disney wasn’t interested in her "more of a female-led" movie, though Bruckheimer later downplayed this claim.
"I think Disney agrees they really want to make the Margot one, too," the producer said.³
The sixth film in the original franchise has gone through several writers, including Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott, who co-wrote the first four Pirates movies.
More recently, screenwriter Jeff Nathanson – who penned the script for 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales – has taken over the project.
Last summer, Bruckheimer praised Nathanson’s work on the screenplay.
"He’s cracked it," Bruckheimer said. "He’s got an amazing third act. We just gotta clean up the first and second and then we’ll get there. But he wrote a great, great third act."⁴
Bruckheimer’s loyalty to Depp remains strong
Throughout the uncertainty surrounding Depp’s career, Bruckheimer has remained a vocal supporter.
The producer has consistently praised Depp’s unique creation of Captain Jack Sparrow, noting that the character wasn’t fully formed on the written page.
"If it was up to me, [Johnny] would be in it," Bruckheimer said last year. "I love him. He’s a good friend. He’s an amazing artist and he’s a unique look."⁵
Bruckheimer credits Depp with creating the essence of Jack Sparrow through his own interpretation.
"He created Captain Jack. That was not on the page, that was him doing a little Pepé Le Pew and Keith Richards. That was his interpretation of Jack Sparrow," the producer explained.⁶
This creative ownership of the character gives Depp significant leverage in any discussions about returning to the franchise.
The stakes couldn’t be higher
The Pirates franchise represents one of Disney’s most valuable properties, but it also faces challenges without its original star.
Fan reaction to Depp’s potential return has been overwhelmingly positive, with many arguing that Pirates without Jack Sparrow simply isn’t the same.
The financial success of the previous films speaks for itself – each of the five Pirates movies grossed more than $650 million worldwide.
But Disney also has to weigh the potential public relations risks of bringing back Depp, despite his legal victory over Heard.
The entertainment giant has been increasingly cautious about controversial figures in recent years, making any decision about Depp’s return a delicate balancing act.
With Bruckheimer’s conditional offer now on the table, the ball is essentially in Disney’s court and in the hands of the screenwriters working on the script.
If they can craft a story worthy of Jack Sparrow’s return, Johnny Depp appears ready to sail the high seas once again.
For millions of Pirates fans around the world, that possibility alone is worth getting excited about.
¹ Zack Sharf, "’Pirates of the Caribbean’ Producer Spoke to Johnny Depp About Jack Sparrow’s Return in ‘Pirates 6’: ‘If He Likes the Way the Part’s Written, I Think He Would Do It’," Variety, August 12, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.