Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer has indicated that he hasn’t fully eliminated the possibility of Johnny Depp reprising his role as pirate Jack Sparrow for one more film.
Bruckheimer revealed in an interview that the next Pirates of the Caribbean picture was still in the works at Disney. The producer stated that yes they are speaking with Margot Robbie. They are working on two Pirates scripts: one with her and one without. When questioned if Depp’s character Jack Sparrow was in either script, Bruckheimer said, “Not at this time but the future has yet to be decided.”
Depp’s future in the swashbuckling adventure genre has been uncertain since the actor affirmed at his $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard in April 2022 that he would refuse any offer for a sixth Pirates picture. The actor cut ties with Disney when the company purportedly sacked him from Pirates of the Caribbean 6 due to Heard’s assault accusations. Depp has refuted all charges, claiming that Heard was the real abuser throughout their marriage.
Despite his current lack of enthusiasm in reprising his role as Jack Sparrow, Depp claimed that he initially intended to portray the character until the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise concluded. “My belief was that these characters should be able to say their dignified goodbyes,” Depp testified. “There’s a method to put a stop to a franchise like that… I intended to keep going until it was time to stop.”
Fans are still hoping that Disney would repair its ties with Depp and formally give him the job in the sixth film. Two Change.org petitions, from 2018 and 2020, have just reemerged, urging Disney to rehire Depp as the franchise would collapse and never be able to reach that horizon without Jack Sparrow. The 2018 petition has already received over 800,000 signatures, while the 2020 petition is close to 700,000 signatures.
Margot Robbie, actress of The Suicide Squad, has been connected to the Pirates franchise since June 2020, when it was reported that Disney was creating a female-led spinoff picture with a legitimate sequel to Dead Men Tell No Tales. Robbie earlier indicated that she was in discussions for a role in a future Pirates picture, but that it was in its “initial periods” and that “I shan’t say no more for now.”
Pirates of the Caribbean is still one of Disney’s most profitable film franchises, with all editions making more than $650 million worldwide. Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth and last Pirates of the Caribbean film starring Jack Sparrow, was released in 2017.
Outside of the film series, the swashbuckling pirate has remained a prominent part in the brand, making big appearances in the open-world video game Sea of Thieves in 2021 and in Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.
