The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise came to a halt with 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, but there was always the option for more of Captain Jack Sparrow at some point. That was until it became clear Disney had barred Johnny Depp from the franchise following his messy divorce from Amber Heard, with the studio instead moving forward with rebooting the swashbuckling saga. But does Depp miss playing what’s arguably his most famous role?
The star was asked this question by French site El Pais while attending the BCN Film Fest to promote his new movie Minamata. Depp explained that no, he doesn’t miss it. But that’s simply because he doesn’t feel that he’s ever let go of the character of Jack Sparrow.
“No, I don’t miss it, because I have it every day, I always carry it with me, I travel with Captain Jack in my suitcase. I belong to Jack Sparrow and he is loyal to me.”
The world first encountered Sparrow way back in 2003’s The Curse of the Black Pearl, with Depp going on to portray the part four more times over the next 14 years. It’s no wonder he still feels like he carries Jack around with him, then. Especially as he continues to pull on his old costume and makeup to get into character for charitable occasions. Just last year, for example, he reprised Jack for a virtual children’s hospital visit.
But it’s unlikely that he’ll get to return to the seven seas on screen. Disney is looking to steer the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in a less male-led direction. In fact, two female-fronted projects are in development. A follow-up, potentially with Karen Gillan in the lead, is in the works, alongside a spinoff from Margot Robbie, who’s both producing and likely to star.
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp might not miss playing Jack, but his fans sure do. In fact, a petition to get Disney to rehire him has sailed past its goal of 500K signatures.