Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jerry Bruckheimer became one of the most powerful and recognizable producers in Hollywood thanks to an astonishing track record of success. When people saw his name attached to a movie, they knew to expect a high concept action-packed blockbuster that was big on explosive pyrotechnics and star power.
At his peak, Bruckheimer was involved in Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Bad Boys, The Rock, Con Air, Armageddon, Enemy of the State and many more. While his reputation has somewhat diminished throughout the 21st Century following a series of box office disappointments offset by the odd hit like this year’s Bad Boys For Life, the 77 year-old was one of the major driving forces behind Disney’s multi-billion Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Of course, Bruckheimer was among Johnny Depp’s biggest supporters when others involved in the production of Curse of the Black Pearl were confused by his approach to playing Captain Jack Sparrow, and he’s repeatedly defended the actor over the last few years during his series of highly publicized court battles.
Depp’s time as part of the swashbuckling franchise looks to be over now, but we’ve heard from our sources this week – the same ones that told us Disney were working on live-action remakes of Bambi and Robin Hood months before either was announced – that Bruckheimer has been in direct contact with the former Fantastic Beasts star in an attempt to work something out over a return to Pirates of the Caribbean. Even if it’s just in a cameo capacity.
The two are good friends, and Bruckheimer has always been non-committal about the leading man’s status in the series, so there’s still a chance he could be welcomed back into the fold given that he’s got at least one person behind the scenes fighting his corner now. But at the end of the day, the decision will ultimately rest with the Mouse House, and at the moment, at least, they seem to want to move on without him.
